“Paddington Takes the Air” By: Michael Bond (Modern Fantasy, Chapter Book)

This book is about a colorful and exciting bear named Paddington, and is only one in a series of Paddington books. This story is all about this talking bear and the interesting situations that he manages to get himself into. In the opening we learn that the tooth that Paddington just lost has been dropped down the waste disposal by Mrs. Brown, and Paddington is not happy. Each of the following chapters present Paddington in a different situation, some of which include: trying out a really old sewing machine, entering a gymkhana, restoring an old car, and acting as a detective. The story ends with Paddington getting invited to a charity ball, and participating in a dance competition.

After reading this book with the students in my classroom, I would put the children into groups of three or four, and assign each group a chapter in the book. I would then have them use some sort of technology to present their assigned chapter to the class, such as a prezi, wordle, glogster, etc. In their presentation they would summarize their chapter, include their opinions on it, and “talk back” to the text.

"Teammates" By: Peter Golenbock (Free Choice, Non-fiction)

This book is about the early days of baseball when there was a separate Negro league as well as a White league. It tells the story of the Negro players and their hard lives on the roads, as well as the White players who had much better food and living conditions. The author mentions that many people knew that the prejudices were wrong, but nobody wanted to challenge the current conditions. One day the manager of the Dodgers decided that he wanted to recruit the best players for his team, regardless of race. This is how an African American man named Jackie Robinson became the first black player to try out for a Major League baseball team.

After reading this book with my class, I would use it to spark some conversations about sportsmanship, friendship, and equality. I would also use it to begin to talk about the different types of conflict (character vs self, character vs nature, etc.). The kids could then go back through the story and identify examples of these different types of conflict.

“In Your Face” By: Donna Jackson (Non-fiction, Free Choice)

http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/JqqDqFThpk

 

I would use this book in my classroom when discussing non-fiction as a genre. After reading this book, I would have the students explore other non-fiction books, and think about some similarities and differences between them. Afterwards, I would get them to make a wallwisher, on which they would discuss some things that they found to be true in most non-fiction books, including the table of contents, headings, index, glossary, etc. They would also be free to put up some interesting things that they learned from their books, and respond to some of their classmates wall posts.

"Sarah, Plain and Tall" By: Patricia Maclachlan (Historical Fiction, Chapter Book)

This book is about two young children Anna and Caleb, who lost their mother very young, and who now live with their father. One day their dad puts an ad in the paper looking for a wife and mother for his children. A woman by the name of Sarah Wheaton of Maine, responds and soon comes to live with the family. The children are constantly worried that Sarah will leave them and go back home, but in the end the four of them find a way to become a happy family again.

After reading this book in my classroom, I would put the children into groups of four and have them select a portion of the story that they would like to work with. The group will choose some way to represent their section of the story by using the flip camera, which can either be a dramatic reading of the text, acting it out, etc. Somewhere in their video though, they must include why their portion is crucial to the overall plot of the story.

"Dirt on Their Skirts" By:Doreen Rappaport and Lyndall Callan (Historical Fiction, Free Choice)

This book takes young readers back to 1946 when the Racine Belles played the Rockford Peaches in the All American Girls Baseball League. The story is about a young girl named Margaret, and her family’s trip to the baseball game. It tells about why the league was created during the war and gives a play by play of the last few moments of the game. As Margaret talks about the game, her passion for it becomes evident, as well as her dream of one day playing in the same league.

I would use this book as an opportunity for the children to learn more about the history of women in the United States. I would assign each student a player from either the Belles or the Peaches, and have them do research on her. After gathering up enough information, they would then write a biography about the player, and share it with the class.

"Frindle" By: Andrew Clements (Realistic Fiction, Chapter Book)

http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/3123017/Frindle

 

After reading this book with my students, I would have them create two glogsters. On the first I would instruct them to create a glogster about the book Frindle, in which they would have to creatively arrange the key events, characters, and themes of the story. I would tell them though that they are not limited to these ideas, but that they are a minimal requirement. The second glogster , would be them coming up with a new word for an everyday object, just as Nick did in the story. They would use the glogster to creatively display their new word and its meaning.

"Mama Miti" By: Donna Jo Napoli (International/Multicultural Literature)

This book is about a woman from Kenya, Africa whose name is Wangari Maathai. Wangari won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 for her service to the land. Nick-named Mama Miti, this book tells the story of how she changed her country tree by tree by giving out seeds to all of the poor women that came to her for help.   

I would read this book in my classroom when discussing the importance of being agents of change with my students. It perfectly illustrates how even just the actions of one person can begin to change the world. I would tie this into the science curriculum by discussing how planting all of these trees positively affected the environment, including less erosion, cleaner air and water, etc. I would also like to do a follow up project to have the children write a type of grant to a local agriculture supply store, to see if they would donate some seeds to the children. They could then distribute these seeds to family and friends just like Mama Miti did in the story.

"What to do About Alice?" By: Barbara Kerley (non-fiction, biography)

This lively picture book is about Alice Roosevelt and her life as the President’s daughter. Alice’s mother died when she was very young, and her father Theodore Roosevelt, is seen at the beginning of the story wondering what to do about the extremely energetic Alice. The book goes on to tell about the many adventures that Alice had while living in the White House as a child and as a grown up wife of a congressman.

I would use this book in my classroom when talking about the government, just to add a little flair and sort of an inside perspective. I would have the students look up some of the other children of the White House, and if there were books about any of them, we could read them together and compare their experiences to Alice’s. I also think that I would have the kids imagine that their father/mother was the President, and tell them to write about a day in their life as the President’s son/daughter.

"Crispin" By: Avi (Historical Fiction, Chapter Book)

http://ashleyt23.glogster.com/Glog-8414/ 

 

In my classroom, I don’t think that I would use this book with all of my students. I would probably give it to a small group of my top readers, and encourage them to read it independently. While they were reading, I would have them fill out some “think marks” on the characters and events from the book. After they had all completed the reading, I would guide them through a small literature circle discussion of the book, by using a mostly student-led discussion of themes, characters, events, etc. They would be advised to use their completed think marks to help them with their discussion.

"Tangled: Rapunzel’s Tale" By: Barbara Bazaldua (Traditional Literature, Chapter Book, Free Choice)

Tangled is a creative twist of the popular fairy tale, Rapunzel. This book is told from Rapunzel’s point of view, and begins with her description of her life in the tower with her “mother.” One day a young boy named Flynn Rider stumbles into her tower, and she soon captures him and his satchel. Rapunzel soon makes a deal with Flynn that she will give him back his satchel, if he takes her to see the “lights” in a far away kingdom on her birthday. The two soon set off on breath-taking adventure, through which they encounter some difficult situations, but as with most fairy tales, it has a happy ending.

After reading this book in my class, I would have the students do a book pass with a few different versions of this same fairy tale. I would break them into small groups, giving each group a few different versions on the same fairy tale. While reviewing the books, they would complete the book pass worksheet, writing down the title, author, and a comment that they have about each book. After doing this, we would come together as a group to discuss some of the similarities and differences between the different versions, and some of the things that they noticed while looking at their books.

"Rapunzel: The Graphic Novel" By: Stephanie Peters (Traditional Literature, Graphic Novel, Free Choice)

This book is a great re-telling of the very popular fairy tale, Rapunzel. Told in the graphic style, the tale begins with a husband and wife who wish more than anything to have a child. When they are finally granted their wish, the evil witch next door takes their young daughter and locks her away in a tower, never to know her real family. One day Rapunzel meets and falls in love with a young prince who they witch soon blinds. After being vanquished from the tower herself, Rapunzel moves to the forest, and begins her new life there where she soon has everything she’s dreamed of, including her prince.

After reading this story with my students, I would have them add on to the ending of the story. I would have them write about what kind of life Rapunzel and her family had from then on, and whether they stayed in the forest, went back to the prince’s kingdom, etc. Since this is a graphic novel, I would talk about how the story is composed of panels, and get the students to illustrate their ending of the story with their own panel drawing.

"Bintou’s Braids" By: Sylviane A. Diouf (International Literature)

This story is set in West Africa, and is about a young girl named Bintou who wants to have her hair braided more than anything in the world. Throughout the story, everyone in her family keeps telling her that she is too young, and that it isn’t time for her to have braids yet, which just makes her even more frustrated. But after Bintou demonstrates an act of heroism, she soon determines that it’s not her hair that makes her wonderful, but who she is on the inside. She ends up getting a special hair-do of her own.

After reading this book, I would have the students brainstorm about something that they once wanted really bad, but never got. The students would then proceed to write about this prompt, expanding further and giving details. Since this story is set in West Africa, I would like the students to think up some similarities between themselves and Bintou, focusing on what things in life are important to them, compared to what’s important to Bintou. To do this, I would have them create some sort of diagram to compare and contrast the two. Then I would have them extend further by looking up some things about African children, and what they value in their cultures.

"Napi" By: Antonio Ramirez (International Literature)

This imaginative tale is about a little Mazateca girl named Napi who lives in a small village in Oaxaca, Mexico. Every day, Napi and her family sit underneath a shade tree and listen to her grandfather tell stories. As she listens, Napi’s imagination runs wild as she gives the reader colorful descriptions of different times of the day and night. Throughout the story, Napi describes some of her dreams including one about becoming a heron, and flying over her village. Throughout the story, the reader is introduced to the vocabulary of Napi’s culture.

After reading this story with my students, I would first have them go back through the story and define some of the vocabulary words that they are not familiar with, such as “huipiles.” I would then have them draw a picture of the words that they defined. Then I would talk to them about the imagery in the story, and how it helps them get a better picture in their minds. I would then direct them to write a story in which they describe their own “villages” or towns, while creating lots of imagery for their readers.

"Cosmo and the Robot" By: Brian Pinkney (Science Fiction)

This science fiction adventure is one that contains both a creative storyline, as well as illustrations. It’s about a little boy named Cosmo who lives with his family on Mars. His life is going along as normal until one day his robot best friend, turns into an evil monster who tries to capture his sister. In a suspenseful adventure, Cosmo manages to bravely save his sister and his best friend, bringing life back to normal once again.

After reading this book with my class, I would tell the students to design their own “Super Sonic Space Tool.” I would have them use a graphic organizer of their choice, to brainstorm about the name, function, and description of their tools. After brainstorming, they would them design an advertisement for their tool, as if they were trying to sell it, which should include a creative description and design.

"My Dad, John McCain" By: Meghan McCain (Non-fiction, Biography)

This book is an account of John McCain’s life, as told by his daughter Meghan. It tells the story of his personal life events from his days of fighting for his country and being held as a prisoner of war, to getting married and having four children. His daughter shares her father’s best traits in this book, including his perseverance, and genuine love for his country. This insightful look into John McCain’s life makes the reader feel as if they’ve known him for years.

After reading this book with my class, I would have the students think about someone that they think should run for President. They would then list the characteristics of this person that makes he/she a good presidential candidate. I would then have the students write a presidential slogan for the person that they are nominating. From there we could even talk about the process of running for certain offices. A follow up book that I think would be cool to read is “My Teacher for President” by Kay Winters.

"Helen Keller: Her Life in Pictures" By: George Sullivan (Non-fiction, Biography)

This book is a biography about the life of Helen Keller, which includes not only text, but also of many photographs taken during her lifetime. It tells Helen’s story in chronological order, beginning with the illness that left her both deaf and blind at only nineteen months old. It goes on to tell how Annie Sullivan helped Helen learn to read and write, and their lifelong journey of meeting people like Alexander Graham Bell and Mark Twain. The book explains how Helen traveled all over the world supporting the blind, protesting war, and working with wounded veterans. The pictures and the text work together to tell the story of this amazing woman’s life, and leaves the reader in awe of her legacy.

After reading this book in my classroom, I would first use it to discuss the arrangement and characteristics of a biography. We would then read an autobiography and make a venn diagram to compare these two types of non-fiction. Afterwards, I would give the students the task of creating a collection of pictures which tell the story of their own lives, similar to the way this book was composed. Another option is to introduce this book on the first day of school. I would then have the students partner up with another person in the class, and have them write each other’s biographies. This activity would serve two purposes; the first is to introduce students to biographies, the second is to help the students get to know each other better.

"The Faithful Friend" By: Robert D. San Souci (Folk Literature)

This West Indian folktale set on the island of Martinique, is one of love and loyalty to friends. It’s about two young friends who have always been as close as brothers. One of the boys, Clement, fell in love and decided to ask for the girl’s hand in marriage. Despite his friend’s warning that the girl’s uncle is a wizard, the two friends set off to a town called Macouba to find her. The girl’s uncle is not happy with the marriage request, so he ordered three zombies to kill the young couple. Throughout their journey home, the zombies try to kill the couple many times, but each time Clement’s best friend Hippolyte, saves them.  It ends up being the power of friendship that helps them all break the spell.

In my classroom, there are many ways in which I could use this book. One thing I would like to do is a reader’s theatre. I would have the students act out or do a dramatic reading of the story to help them visualize and bring it to life even more. Another idea that I have is to get them to design a travel brochure for the island of Martinique. They can use the text and the pictures from the story to get ideas on what to include in their brochures. After making them, each student would present theirs to the class. Since this folktale has the potential of teaching some powerful lessons, I might also have the students write about the following prompt: Write about one lesson that you learned from The Faithful Friend, and how you might apply this learning in your own life.

"The Sugar Child" By: Monique De Varennes (Folk Literature)

This is a “sweet” tale about two friendly bakers who have always longed to have a child of their own, but never have. One night as the baker was working on a batch of marzipan, he forms his dream child. The next morning they wake up to find that the little sugar child has become a real girl. The little girl was well liked by everyone and soon became good friends with a sickly little boy. Her parents try to hide her from the truth about her friend, fearing that her tears will make her disappear. But the sugar child is overwhelmed by concern for her friend, and her visit ends up being great for both of them.

I think that this is a great tale of love and loyalty for any age group. In my classroom, there are several things that I can think of using this book for. The first is to have the students write about something that they think this story has taught them. They may choose to discuss friendship, loyalty, a parent’s love and concern, etc. Another thing that I may have them write about is to tell about a time when they were concerned for a friend or family member, and what they learned from that experience. Another fun thing to do would be to have the students create an advertisement for the bakery in the book. Although the story doesn’t give a lot of details, you can get a lot from the pictures. They could draw pictures of the family, tell about the baked goods they have, draw the actual building, come up with their own prices, etc. After they are made, the class could decide on which ones are most creative, realistic, and so on. 

"Dream Peddler" by: Gail E. Haley (Folk Literature)

This folktale stems from a 15^th century English folktale called “The Peddler of Swaffham.” The tale is about a poor book peddler named John Chapman, who lives in the town of Swafhamm, England with his family. One night he has a dream that instructed him to go to London Bridge where he would be told great news. He continues to have the dream until he indeed decides to go to London Bridge, where he discovers that what he is looking for is in his own back yard.

After reading this book with my class, I would have them create a circular story map. Through this, they would show the sequence of events using illustrations. I think that this story lends itself very easily to be visually represented, which is I think is a more creative way of retelling a story. Another things that I might consider doing is to come up with their own version of a popular folk tale that they have read and are familiar with. We could then compile them into a book  and share them with the class and the school.

"Jimmy Zangwow’s Out-of-this-World Moon Pie Adventure" By: Tony Diterlizzi (Science Fiction)

This colorful and inventive adventure is not only great because of the storyline, it also has awesome pictures. It begins with a young boy named Jimmy Zangwow who is begging his mother to have a Moon Pie before dinner. Of course, she says no, so he stomps outside and jumps into his “secret project.” As Jimmy sits in his secret project, he wishes that he could ride it to the moon and bring back his own Moon Pies. His wish comes true as his project takes off towards the moon! Along the way, he encounters Mars Men, as well as the great Grimble Grinder. Despite all of his obstacles, he still manages to make it back home in time for dinner.

After reading this book to my class, I would give them the following writing prompt:

Imagine your favorite snack food. Now write a creative adventure about your journey to get the snack. It should be fun and creative like Jimmy’s quest to get a Moon Pie.

When they finished with this, I would then have them draw colorful illustrations of their stories to share with the class.