Busy Animals: Learning About Animals in Autumn

Written by Lisa Bullard

Picture Window Books 2010

24 pages

Nonfiction

 

                              

  This story describes what animals do in the fall. It gives details about how different animals get prepared for the winter during the fall season. Children can see what different animals hibernate during the winter and how they prepare for that as well as how other animals store food so that they wont starve during the cold months.

                                 The illustrations in this story are done with watercolors. These look very warm and rustic to depict the animals in the forest. This would be a book that would catch a child's attention. This book has not received any awards.
                                You could use this book in the class by having your students choose creative adjectives to describe each of the animals homes in the story. You could also have them fill out a chart with things that a certain animal "is", "has", and "can do" to describe specific details about them. The teacher could also create a board and let the students write down on a sticky note why they think that animals hibernate in the winter or what they think the word hibernate means exactly. 

                                    

 



Man on the Moon

Written by Anastasia Suen

Illustrated by Benrei Huang

Puffin, 2002

32 pages

Nonfiction

 

                              This book by Suen tells about Mike Collins, Buzz Aldrin, and Neil Armstrong's milestone success of landing on the moon in 1969. It tells the story about the first time man ever set foot on the moon when no one thought that it was possible. This inspiring story is brought to life with illustration of space and the astronauts walking on the moon. I chose this book because space is very interesting to me and it is something that children are very curious about.

                              The illustrations appear to be done in pencil and possibly some kind of paint. I was not able to find exactly what he used. The pictures are very kid friendly. The colors make the illustrations seem soft. This book has not received any awards.

                              This book could be used in the classroom during science time when discussing space. You could give your students an assignment to design their own space ship and even let them build their own. During writing time you could let your class write a poem about space or space exploration. You could also create a KWL chart with your class while reading the story.



Pyramids, Mummies, and Pharaohs: A Book About Ancient Egypt

Written and Illustrated by Gail Gibbons

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2004

32 pages

Nonfiction

 

                       Gail Gibbons has many wonderful nonfiction books that children love to read. She does an excellent job on all of her books and this one is no different. This story takes you through ancient Egypt when Pharaohs ruled and what life was like for people back then. It describes the beliefs of the people, what people did from day to day, and describes the customs of the people. I chose this book because I love Gail Gibbons work and was interested to see what this book entailed.

                      Gibbons created the illustrations with pen and paintbrush. She is very descriptive and specific with her illustrations so that the reader can get a realistic idea of her stories. This book is focused on the illustrations which cover each page completely. The illustrations are labeled showing different details from Ancient Egypt and the text is placed below each picture. This book has not received any awards.

                      This book could be used during social studies time. You split your class into groups, assign them different things from the book, and have them draw a picture of their topic and write words to describe what they drew. You could also have your students connect slaves back then to slaves in the united states and have them compare and contrast the two. 

Under the Sea

Written by Anna Milbourne

Illustrated by Cathy Shimmen

Usborne Books 2007

32 pages

Nonfiction

 

                               This is a book that will really capture your student's attention. It tells all about the ocean as well as all the life that inhabits it. It gives details and fun facts about the ocean its self and about all different kinds of creatures from coral reefs to sea turtles. It also includes things about the deepest parts of the ocean. This is one that really sparks the imagination. I chose this book because of all the beautiful colors and details on the cover.

                        I could not find what type of medium the illustrator used when creating the pictures for this book. I believe that they were created mainly with watercolors. Shimmen uses bright vibrant colors which makes each page stand out. She uses many different variations of blues for the ocean. Each illustration is filled with beautiful colors and many different creatures from the sea. This book has not received any awards.

                         One activity that would be fun for students would be to draw their choice of animals from the sea on a "four square paper." Under each picture they could sounds out the name of each animal to practice writing their on words. This book could be used during science when learning about the different things you see in the ocean. You could create a chart as a class with one category naming things you see in the ocean and a separate category naming things that you would not see in the ocean. You could also use animals and key terms from the story during reading time as words to segment and sound out with your students. 



Ruth and the Green Book

Written by Calvin Alexander Ramsey and Gwen Strauss

Illustrated by Floyd Cooper

Carolrhoda Books 2010

32 pages

Historical Fiction

 

                                 

                                 This is a story about a young African American girl named Ruth and the journey she and her family take as they travel from their home in Chicago to see her grandmother in Alabama.  It is set in the early 1950's during the time of the Jim Crow Laws. Ruth is excited about traveling in the car since not many black families had cars during that time. Their journey is not an easy one since many motels and gas stations did not serve African Americans. Ruth and her family finally meet a kind and helpful attendant at a gas station and gives them The Green Book which contains all the places that welcome black travelers. This helps them have a safe trip as they make their way to Alabama.

                           I do not know what medium the illustrator used to create his pictures but I believe that they are watercolors. Cooper is a very good illustrator and uses very warm colors in this story. He is also good with details in his work. The expressions on the characters' faces in the story depict the different situations very well. This book has not received any awards.

                       

     One way to incorporate this story with your class would be during math time. You could have your students go through the story and identify how many different places the family went for younger students. Older students could calculate how many miles the family traveled from Chicago to Alabama. Another connection that could be made would be for your students to research Jim Crow laws and write down reasons these might effect black travelers during this time, have them write responses on a sticky note and post them on a poster board.



The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Written by John Boyne

Random House Children's Books 2006

215 pages

Historical Fiction

                           This story takes place in Berlin in 1942 during the period of the Holocaust. It is about a boy named Bruno who comes home one day to find that his father has gotten a promotion and their family is moving. Bruno's father was an SS officer in the Nazi Army. They move to a place where there is not much around and there is no one for Bruno to play with. The place they move to is actually the Auschwitz Concentration Camp. He immediately notices a long fence that goes on for miles and miles. He soon meets a boy who lives with the other strange looking people on the other side of the fence who's name is Shmuel. The boys become friends and meet in the same spot every day. One day Bruno puts on a pair of stripped pajamas and goes through the fence to help his friend find his father and the boys end up in a march. They did not know where the march was leading and end up in the gas chambers. Bruno's family search but could never find him until his father puts the pieces together a year later and figures out what happened. This sad story shows what life was like during this dark time in history.

                             This book contains no illustrations. It contains twenty chapters throughout its 215 pages. This book is most appropriate for ages 12 and up. The cover has stripes similar to the ones that the prisoners in the concentration camps wore. This book has not received any awards.
                             One activity that your class could do with this story would be make a prediction about the story and what they think it will be about. They could write a paragraph about their predictions and then after finishing the book write another paragraph comparing what they learned to their predictions. to create a PowerPoint or presentation of some kind with facts about the Holocaust or something that has to do with the Holocaust. Finally, you could split your class up into groups and get them to make their own scene or story about the holocaust and act out events or make up their own.

 

                                     

Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story From the Underground Railroad

Written by Ellen Levine

Illustrated by Kadir Nelson

Scholastic, Inc. 2007

40 pages

Historical Fiction

 

                            Henry's Freedom Box is a story that will tug on your heartstrings. It is a story about a slave living in the United States and his struggle through life. He never even knew his own birthday. He always dreams about some day becoming free and living a happy life. He eventually gets married and has a family of his own after being torn from his own family as a boy. He is crushed after he finds his self separated from his family again when his wife and children are sold to different masters. Henry is determined to be free and makes a plan to mail himself to the north in a box. When Henry finally reaches freedom he marks this first day as a free man as his birthday. I chose this book because I really enjoyed reading it in EED 312 and it is now one of my favorites.

                           The mediums of the illustrations created by Nelson are pencil, oil and watercolors. The illustrations take up the whole page, with the text on the bottom of the pages. The illustrator did a fantastic job of capturing all the feelings and emotions of the slaves and their struggle to survive. It makes you feel like you are actually there. This book received a Caldecott honor.

                            A fun activity that could be done with this book would be to have your students think about themselves being in the underground railroad and for them to come up with ideas of how they would escape to their freedom. Another fun activity would be to do a reader's theatre and to act out different scenes from the book or even make up their own skit about being a slave. Finally, an activity to get students thinking would be to make teams of two and ask them to pull out real historical facts from the story and research those things. After gathering research and making connections, the teams could present their findings including pictures and other visual aides.

Savvy

Written by Ingrid Law

The Penguin Group 2008

368 pages

Fantasy

 

                                   This is a story about the Beaumont family. They receive a special "power" called a savvy when they turn thirteen years old. One of the brothers can cause hurricanes and the other can create electricity. Mibs was about to turn thirteen and finally find out her savvy when her father was in an accident. Finding her special savvy could not come fast enough when she thought it might be a power that could save his life.

                                    There are no illustrations in the book. The cover of the book appears to be done with water colors. Each color used to create the cover is bright and bold. The color choice is beautiful. This book received a Newberry Honor.

                                    A few classroom connections could be made with this book when teaching science lessons. The teacher could talk about and demonstrate how a hurricane works. The teacher could also go through the process of how electricity is formed as well. Students could also create their own word to replace a well known word or create a word for an action or object that is creative.

 



The Hunger Games

Written by Suzanne Collins

Scholastic 2008

384 pages

Fantasy

                                  The Hunger Games  is a story that takes place in what used to be North America. There are twelve outlying districts around the capitol in Panem. The districts once went to war with the capitol and were defeated. Because of that defeat each district must send a girl and a boy to represent their district and fight to the death on television.

                                   There are no illustrations in this book. This is a book for more advanced readers in about eighth or ninth grade. On some websites it says the book is appropriate for children 12 and up, but in my opinion this book should not be read before 13 or 14 years old.

                                    This book could be helpful in the classroom when talking about things such as government in our country and how a government could be. Students could also design a better alternative that fighting to the death every year and get them to draw a picture of it as well. The teacher could also work on students' vocabulary by pulling words from the text and doing activities with those.

Coraline

Written by Neil Gaiman

Illustrated by Dave McKean

HarperCollins Publishers 2002

176 pages

Fantasy

 

                                I chose to blog about this book because it is one that I read in middle school. This story is very different and also a little scary. Coraline moves into a new house with her family. She finds a secret door that leads to a magic place that looks just like her house, but it is very different from her normal home. People in the other place have buttons for eyes and act strange.There are another set of parents almost exactly like her real parents that want Coraline to come stay with them forever. Coraline will have to fight to escape and make it back home.
                              The illustrations for this book appear to be done with pencils and ink. The illustrator gave the pictures that creepy, scary vibe. The pictures are dark and gloomy which is brought out well with the dark ink and pencil. This book has no awards.
                               This could be used in the classroom for students when they have extra time to read for pleasure. You could also get your class to imagine they had a magic door in their home that could take them to a secret place and get them to write about that place and to draw a picture with it. Another activity you could do would be to create a chart and write students names in the categories for who would go into a secret door/wouldn't go into a secret door if they ever found one.



Poetrees

Written and Illustrated by Douglas Florian

Beach Lane Books 2010

48 pages

Poetry

 

                               This book is not your regular book with poetry. Florian finds a very creative way to describe different types of trees while incorporating poetry. The reason I chose this book was because the title caught my attention and I wanted to see what the book was about. The author tells about several different types of trees such as oaks and coconut palms as well as the different parts of trees.

                         

      The illustrations in this story are very unique. Florian creates his illustrations collage style with  watercolors and gouache on primed paper bags. This makes the pages look very natural an earthy. The pictures are very beautiful and bring out the beautiful details of each tree.

                               This would be a good book to use during a science lesson on trees and the different elements of each different tree. This would also be a good example when showing your students different ways you can create poetry during writing. Students could also choose a creative word to describe a tree of their choice. This book has not received any awards.

The Flea's Sneeze

Written by Lynn Downey

Illustrated by Karla Firehammer

Henry Holt and Company LLC, New York 2000

32 pages

Poetry

 

 

                                This story uses poetry focused around rhyming and repetition. The author uses this to tell a story about eleven animals that are sleeping in a barn until a flea's sneezing wakes them up. This is a funny barnyard story that catches students' attention and keeps them entertained throughout the story. This book is for children from three to six years old. I chose this book because it was one suggested by my CT.

                                The illustrations in the story were created with acrylic paints done on Strathmore board. The first word that came to mind when looking at the illustrations in the book was "rustic". The pages contain colors that give you the feeling that a barn has. The illustrator seems to have a very vivid imagination with the way she brings the book to life.

                                 This book could be used when practicing reading more smoothly. It could also be used when discussing words that rhyme. Another thing that can be discussed from the story is the different kinds of animals that are in a barn. This book has not received any awards.

                                

                                  



Red Sings From Treetops-a Year in Colors

Written by Joyce Sidman

Illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski

Houghton Mifflin 2009

32 pages

Poetry

 

 

                                   This story takes the reader through all the different seasons throughout the year by connecting to all of your senses; taste, touch, sight, and smell. These poems also contain all the different colors for each season. These poems makes it less concrete and helps you to actually feel the seasons and all the different elements that makeup each season. "In winter, Green waits in the hearts of trees, feeling the Earth turn." I chose this book because of how beautifully the sentences are worded.

                                 Like the writing throughout the books, the illustrations do a good job of letting the reader feel each season instead of just simply reading about them. When a color is stated in a sentence, it is make bold so that it stands out from the rest of the sentence. The medium of the illustrations are mixed media paintings on wood and also computer illustrations. All of the colors make the poetry that much better. The colors are rich, warm, bright, and bold. The book received a Caldecott Medal in 2010.

                                This book could be used in the classroom when discussing the different elements that make up each season. The class could also discuss using imagery in their writing to make the reader really feel whatever it is that you are describing in their writing. Another activity that could be practiced using the story as a guide would be getting your class to practice using colors to describe different feelings, such as blues for calmness or greens and browns for that natural feel.



Button Up!: Wrinled Rhymes

Written by Alice Schertle

Illustrated by Petra Mathers

HMH Books for young readers 2009

40 pages

Poetry

 

 

                                   This book is a collection of poems describing different animal characters' articles of clothing. The poems vary from Violet's Hiking Hat to Clyde's costume. The lines rhyme at the end of every other sentence. An example of one of the poems is from Bertie's Shoelaces, "Good old Bertie, he let's us hang around. It doesn't bother Bertie when we drag along the ground. We're not uptight, as our Bertie buddy knows. We're hang loose laces, and we don't do bows!" The reason I chose this book was because the illustrations are very bright and pretty.

                                   The illustrations negative space on the page is white, which really makes each illustration pop. Some illustrations in the story have text on one page and an illustration on the opposite while other pages contain both on the same page. The medium is crayons and watercolors. All of the critters and their different types of clothing are created with very bright, deep colors.

                                  This collection of poetry could be incorporated when talking about words that rhyme. It could also be used when discussing adjectives and what the job of an adjective is. Your students could pick out good adjectives that describe a word well and put a sticky note of that word on a poster. It could also be a good example of showing your class how to make your writing more interesting and how writing can be created in many different ways. This book has not received any honors.



Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Retold and Illustrated by Jan Brett

Puffin 1987

32 pages

Traditional Literature

 

                                  I chose this book because it is one of the most popular and well known stories. It has been around for a very long time and there are several different versions and re makes of the story. Jan Brett's version is a little different, but still follows pretty close to the original version of the story. The story of a curious little girl that wanders into the house of three bears and makes herself at home eating their, porridge, sitting in their chairs, and even sleeping in their beds. The bears come home finding Goldilocks in baby bear's bed and she runs away frightened.

                                 I believe the illustrations are done with watercolor. In my opinion, Jan Brett's illustrations have that classic look. They are very beautiful and bring life to the pages. She uses many details which is what makes her illustrations come to life. Both the illustrations and the text are on a page. This book has received no awards.

                                This book could be used when reading classic pieces of literature to your class. You could also use this book when teaching your class about different elements of a story such as characters, setting, problem, and solution. This could also be used when trying to teach your students about the different times events took place in the story and the importance of time in a story. An example of this would be getting students to act out the story and then tell what happened in the beginning, middle, and end of the story. 

Strega Nona

Written and Illustrated by Tomie de Paola

Aladdin Picture Books 1979

32 pages

Traditional Literature

 

                               Strega Nona is a story that is retold by Tomie de Paola. The name Strega Nona actually means "Grandma Witch" in Italian. This is what some supposed witch doctors used to be referred to years ago. This story is about her and her helper named Big Anthony. This lady hires Anthony to take care of things around her house for her and gives him food and a place to stay in return. Strega Nona has a pot that has special powers. Anthony overhears Strega Nona using this pot and tries to perform a little magic himself when the old lady leaves for a day. He makes a big mistake and pasta starts taking over the whole town. Luckily, the old lady returns just in time to save the town and makes Anthony take care of the mess by eating all of the pasta. I chose this book because the interesting title caught my attention.
                             The illustrations for this book is done with watercolors as the medium. The illustrations and the text are on the same page throughout the book. The text is above the pictures, and also between and below pictures. The illustrations give that feeling of that old retold story. The negative space is white which makes the pictures look bright and the illustrations especially stand out. This book received a Caldecott Medal.
                              This book could be used when learning during social studies time. The teacher could use this as a reference to how people used to believe that some people were witches and possessed magic powers. You could also do an activity with your class and make a chart with two separate categories: Things from the story that could not really happen/Things from the story that could happen to give your class examples of things that cannot really happen in real life. The class could also write or draw about the difference in witches back years ago and witches today.

                               

 

 

 

 

 



Fables

Written and Illustrated by: Arnold Lobel

Harper & Row, Mexico 1980

48 pages

Traditional Literature

 

                            I chose this book because fables are something that have been around for years and years and they are very interesting to read. This book contains 20 short fables each taking up a whole page. All of the characters in the story are animals. A few of these tales include stories such as The Pelican and the Crane and The Cat and his Visions. Each fable teaches a lesson or moral at the end, such as, "there is such thing as too much order".

                            I think the illustrations are done with water colors and pencil. I was not able to find what the artist used, but I believe that is what he used. Each illustration takes up a whole page and the text also covers the whole opposite page. The colors are mostly dim, dreary colors that make the pictures seem sad. The illustrations show the characters involved in the story and sometimes a scene from the story.

                            One connection that could be used in the classroom could be when teaching you class about morals. This could also be a good book that could be used by the school counselor. These fables could also be used when discussing traditional literature in the classroom and how stories were years ago. A good activity that could be done is getting your class to make up their own story that teaches a specific lesson. This book received a Caldecott Medal.



Fall Mixed Up

Written by Bob Raczka

Illustrated by Chad Cameron

Scholastic Inc. New York, 2011

32 Pages

Picture book

 



                           I chose this book again because I  have been in the Fall spirit and love reading children's books about Fall. This is not your ordinary book about Fall however, things are all backwards. The book starts out " Every Septober, Every Octember, Fall fills my senses with scenes to remember" and continues swapping things around throughout the story such as "Screcrowes stand guard over candy corn sprouts, Milkweed pods open, and monarchs fly out". It entails several different events that take place in fall such as Halloween, football season, leaving falling (up), and Thanksgiving talking about each in a very non traditional way. At the end of the story the last paragraph states "Can this be fall? Close, but not quite. Go back and find all the things that aren't right".

                        Illustrations in this book were created with digitally and some were created by doing a collage. All of Cameron's illustrations capture that feeling of fall and all the things that go with it. He uses rich deep reds, oranges, yellows and browns so there is no doubting the Autumn season. He also uses dark, gloomy, foggy colors on the pages about Halloween. Each illustration takes up a whole page and the text is on either the top or bottom of every page.

                         Of course, I would use this story when talking to my class about the season of Fall. Students could  name the things that are wrong in the story and get them to change it to what it is correct. They could also write a sentence about their favorite thing about Fall and draw a picture to go along with it. I think students would enjoy this book because it is a silly book that will keep their attention and make them laugh. This book has not received any awards.

                            

Maya Was Grumpy

Written and illustrated by Courtney Pippin-Mathur

Scholastic Inc. New York, 2013

32 pages

Picture book

 

 

                        I chose this book because the title caught my attention. The word grumpy in the title is very bold and big which made me curious as to what the book is about. It also has a very cute and colorful cover. Maya wakes up on the wrong side of the bed and is extremely grumpy. She did not know exactly why she was grumpy but nothing made her happy. She tries to share her bad mood with everybody else by trying to make them mad. Maya's Gramma says things to Maya like "well then, I guess no hunting for hippos after breakfast" and "certainly no tickling tarantulas until they giggle" until Maya finally cracks a smile and starts to laugh. She gave her Gramma a big hug while she fixed her hair and packed her a snack for their adventures at the park that day.

                        This book was illustrated with pencil, ink, watercolors, and had a few added digital effects.  Courtney Pippin-Mathur uses a lot of deep purples, blues, and greens as her backgrounds throughout the story. The character Maya has bright orangish yellow hair that really stands out. The illustrations are a whole page and the text is at the top and bottom of different pages.

                         This story could be used when talking about different types of animals or when talking about families. Students could draw a picture of their family or a specific animal that they saw in the book. It could also be used when talking to your students about having a good attitude and how it can change your day. You could create a T chart with one column titled "how a bad mood can effect your day" and another column titled "how a good mood can effect your day". This book has no rewards.

                           

 



Pete the Cat Rocking in My School Shoes

By Eric Litwin

Illustrated by James Dean

Scholastic Inc. New York, 2011

40 pages

Picture book

 

                                I chose this book because I really enjoyed reading Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons which was the first of the Pete the Cat books I have read. I really like the way the author makes his character's attitude so calm and cool in each story. In this story Pete is starting school with his new school shoes on. Every thing that happens to Pete throughout the day is "all good" because he gets to do these things while wearing his school shoes. He makes up songs through out the story about himself doing various things at school while rocking in his school shoes. At the end of the day when his mother asks him what he did at school Pete replies "I was rocking in my school shoes and I will do it again tomorrow"! Each page gives clues to a place where Pete is and asks at the end of the text "Where is Pete ?" and answers where he is when the reader turns the page.

                             This book is illustrated with water colors. James Dean always uses bright colors to make his illustrations really stand out. Pete's rocking school shoes are painted in a bright red making them especially stand out as well as his guitar.  Dean also uses a lot of calm background colors such as blues and greens to make other illustrations on the page stand out that much more.

                             

This book could be used with the younger grades when talking about different places in the school building. The students could color four pictures of places that Pete went in the school building on a four square chart made by the teacher. The students could then write one word below their picture to describe it. This book is also a good example for student to keep their cool throughout their day at school! This book has no awards.

 



There Was a Coyote Who Swallowed a Flea

Written by Jennifer Ward

Illustrated by Steve Gray

Scholastic Inc. New York, 2007

32pages

Picture book

 

 

                         This book got my attention because I noticed the title is very similar to There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. Come to find out this book is very much like it except there is a coyote swallowing crazy things instead of the old lady. He starts out eating a fly in the beginning and by the end of the story he is swallowing the moon. The book is set in the southwestern part of the country which is evident through the illustrations. Each paragraph ends with "Yippee-o-ki-yee!'' instead of "I don't know why she swallowed the fly, perhaps she'll die!"

                         

The illustrations look very rustic and very much like the southwest. Steve Gray did a wonderful job with the characters expressions when they were in the coyotes belly after being eaten. He uses a lot of browns, tans, oranges, yellows, and greens to capture that southwestern feel.

                         This book could be used for a writing activity where the students have to write a sentence about one thing the coyote ate and his reason for eating it. The teacher could also have  separate cards with each item or animal the coyote ate and have the students put them in order according to how the coyote ate them. I like this book because it puts a twist on the "old lady who swallowed a fly" story. This book has no awards.

                         

Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too?

 

Written and illustrated by Eric Carle

Scholastic Inc. New York, 2000

24 Pages

 Non-Fiction/ informational

                           

There are not many people who have gone through school that have not read an Eric Carle book or at least seen one. I chose this book because I love Carle's book but had never seen this one. This book takes you through a ton of different animals along with their babies. The question throughout is "Does a swan, fox, bear giraffe, etc., have a mother too"? The question is answered with "yes, it does just like me and you". At the end of the story is a short index type page with all the different animals that were mentioned in the story and a short definition about each.

                            Eric Carle has a unique way of illustrating his stories. He uses collages made from pieces of tissue paper that he has painted. His tissue papers are painted with lot of different shades of a particular color rather than one color alone. He makes everything on the page stand out using all kinds of colors. He uses warm colors for animals such as the fox, the giraffe, and the lion, while he uses cooler colors for animals such as the swan, penguins, and the dolphin. The text is on one page and the illustration fills the other page.

                           This book could be used in science when teaching students about different kinds of animals as well as their babies. It can also be used to teach children what the names of different groups of animals are such as a herd or pack. Children could make a Venn Diagram with one circle titled "Herd" the other titled "Pack" and the middle circle titled "Other". It tells what each parent and baby animal is called in a particular species. This group is more appropriate for the K-1st grades.  

                           





Leaf Jumpers

By Carole Gerber

Illustrated by Leslie Evans

Scholastic Inc. New York, 2004

29 pages

Picture Book

 

                                    The upcoming fall season inspired me to read this book. It talks about a lot of different trees and what kinds of leaves are on them as well as the different colors they change to during autumn. The story includes a little girl and her brother and their dog looking at several trees and leaves and playing in big piles of leaves that have just fallen on the ground. This book captures the beauty of fall with all of its deep bright colors.

                                   The illustrations cover the whole page with text in different places on each one. The illustrator used linoleum block prints and watercolors on Arches paper. Leslie Evans used bright fall-ish colors including bright oranges, deep browns, electric yellows, rusty tans, and dark reds. Evans also  shaped each leaf making them look like they do in real life and is very careful about all the little details. She paints a beautiful picture of all that fall brings.

                                    This would be a good book to use during a science lesson on the different seasons or when talking about specific trees and the types of leaves on them. The teacher could get her class to make a chart categorizing leaves to their type of shape such as smooth edged, teeth like edges, hand shaped, and needles. The students could also color leaves the appropriate fall color that it turns. In my opinion you could have this book in any elementary class because it is a good educational book about specific leaves and the fall season.



Don't Be Silly Mrs. Millie!

Written by Judy Cox

Illustrated by Joe Mathieu

Scholastic Inc. New York, 2005

29 Pages

Picture Book

 

 

                                Don't Be Silly Mrs.Millie is a book that can really get your students attention. Mrs. Millie is always teasing her kindergarten class by saying things such as telling the students to "get out your paper and penguins" when it was writing time or that they were having "gorilla cheese sandwiches" for lunch. The students were always amused by their teacher and loved to correct all the silly things she said. I did not have a particular reason for choosing this book but I ended up really liking it and its beautiful illustrations.
                               The illustrations in this book are done with Prismacolor pencil, dyes, pen, and ink. The illustrator Joe Mathieu really made the book come to life with its bright happy colors and the way he incorporated the silly things Mrs. Millie said in with each illustration. Each illustration covers the whole page and the text is positioned at the top of every page.
                               I might use this book in the classroom during journal time and definitely during reading time. The class could write a sentence about something silly Mrs. Millie said in the story or draw a picture about something that happened in the book. This book is most appropriate for the younger grades up to about second grade. This book has no awards but it is one that I recommend.


The Very Brave Bear

Written and Illustrated by Nick Bland

Scholastic Inc. New York, 2013

22 Pages

Picture book

                           

                            I chose this book because my CT for practicum had it in her classroom. The cover of the book caught my eye because its very bright and stands out. In this story Bear meets Boris Buffalo in the slimy bog. Boris scared Bear when he popped up out of the bog next to where he was picking berries, so Bear had to prove that he was just as brave as Boris the Buffalo. Throughout the story Boris and Bear are competing to see who is the bravest. At the end of the story they look into a cave and get scared by a loud roar that ends up just being a little frog. I also noticed that the little frog had been watching the friends throughout the story. The friends then agree that they are equally brave. 

                         The illustrations in this book are done with acrylics on paper. Each illustration takes up the whole page and the text is placed randomly on each page. Nick Bland uses a lot of different greens to bring the woods to life where Bear and Boris are exploring. He also uses a lot of bright colors for things such as flowers and the little frog at the end of the story.

                         In the class room I would use this book when talking about the word brave or when discussing vocabulary terms. It could also be used during a science or social studies lesson when talking about different places in the wilderness or when discussing different types of animals.





 

 

 

Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons

Written by  Eric Litwin

Illustrated by  James Dean

Scholastic Inc. New York, 2012

28 pages

Picture Book

 

 

                                  I really enjoyed reading this picture book. The reason I chose this book is because I like the way the author tells the story. All of his Pete the Cat Books are very laid back and cool feeling so to speak. This book takes you on an adventure with Pete the cat as he loses his shirt buttons throughout the day. Is Pete bothered about losing any of his buttons? Definitely not, because as he says "buttons come and buttons go". By the end of the day Pete the cat has lost all four of his groovy buttons but is not concerned because he still has his belly button. This book includes subtraction of numbers as Pete loses each button. This book received a Theodore Seuss Geisel Honor.

                            This book as well as all of the other Pete the Cat books are illustrated with water colors. I love how James Dean makes the pages so bright and colorful which catches children's attention and keep them interested. The illustrations cover each page and a lot of the text throughout the book has its own page as well. The text in this book is very big and stands out well. Mr. Dean also paints the number of buttons Pete has in different colors than the rest of the sentence to make it stand out. He also does this with the words "buttons come and buttons go".

                           In class this book would be good for younger children who have just started to learn simple subtraction. It is a good way to incorporate this math skill with this fun and colorful story of Pete losing his buttons. I may also use it as an example of keeping your cool when things go wrong at that life will go on. Pete stays very calm throughout the story even after losing his buttons.

 

 

 

                            





The Barn Owls

Written by Tony Johnston

Illustrated by Deborah Kogan Ray

Scholastic Inc. New York, 2000

28 pages

Animal stories-General Fiction

 



                         I chose this book because I love books about animals. When I was in elementary school I was very interested in books about animals and was constantly reading one. One thing about this book that really caught my eye was the illustrations. This book talks about owls that live in a barn that is at least 100 years old. There are several owls that stay in the barn like a family. It tells about them hunting for food, when they sleep, the details of the loft they stay in, and their young. The story also has good descriptions about things around the barn such as bees buzzing around flowers, and snakes sunning and shedding their skin. The story tells how owls wake at night to do their hunting and how the glide over top of the wheat fields. It basically describes the day to day life of a barn owl.

                         The illustrations in this book are done with transparent watercolors and watercolor pencils. The illustrations in the story depict the perfect picture of owls in their natural habitat. The illustrator was also good at using the right colors and blends to capture a gorgeous view of the rural area including the wheat fields and the barn. The colors bring out the beauty in the owls and give you a realistic feeling. The illustrations are a full page and the text is placed in random places on each page.

                        This book would be good to use during a science lesson about different animals habitats or learning about animals in different parts of the country. It could also be incorporated when talking about predatory animals. I like this book because it describes where owls stay and what exactly they do. This may be helpful to a lot of students who know what owls are but do not know that much about them.