We March

We March

Written and Illustrated by Shane Evans

Roaring Brook Press, 2012

32 Pages

Multicultural - African American

     I originally chose the book We March by Shane Evans to use in my Historical Fiction or Informational book blog. I ended up finding more rigid fitting books for these categories, and luckily, this book fits perfectly under the Multicultural heading. This is a story about the March on Washington that occurred on August 28, 1963. The story is told from a young boy's perspective. He and his family arise in the morning and prepare for the March. The reader is taken on a journey through time to see how an African American family in 1963 might have went about this morning. This book depicts the March on Washington in a mere 61 words. Simple and moving, this book is a powerful representation of what it means to have a dream.

     Evans' mixed media illustrations using textured paper collages with line drawings and paintings offer extensively more information and emotion than even words can say. With only 61 words in total, We March leaves a lot of information to be found in the illustrations. The colorful images of African Americans coming together to march for a cause highlights the hardships and shared culture of this group of people. I specifically chose the picture above because it shows that not only did African Americans March on Washington, but also men and women, black and white, elderly and children, Jews and Christians. People from all different races, religions, ages, and cultures came to march for the same cause. I believe this paints a powerful picture to readers-- that even those who are different, are not all that different after all.

     We March is best suited for grades Pre K - 2. The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom began at the Washington Monument and ended with a rally at the Lincoln Memorial, where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his historic, "I have a Dream" speech. Discuss ways to make a difference with students. Allow students to talk with one another about their dreams to make the world a better place. Then, have students create their own "I have a dream..." bubble. Perhaps during Black History Month, devote one day to researching a famous leader of Civil Rights (such as Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., etc.) each day of the week. At the end of the week, have students move around the room and play "Who Am I?" by reading the description of their person and guessing who they are based on the description. You might also ask students to tell how people communicated on the day of the March (i.e. speeches, signs, buttons, etc.). Tell them that another way that the message about freedom was shared was by singing. Introduce them to the song lyrics for “We Shall Overcome.” You may choose to play the song and sing along together. Finally, ask students to write, draw or tell why they think songs were included as part of the March on Washington. This would be a great springboard to lead into Freedom Songs and African American culture in the 1960's.

Oh Say Can You Seed?

Oh Say Can You Seed?

Written by Bonnie Worth

Illustrated by Aristides Ruiz

Random House, Inc., 2001

48 Pages

Informational

     Scouring the science section, I catch a glimpse of the Cat in the Hat. Who misplaced this delightful children's story? Who would do that? I snatch it up out of curiousity only to find that was exactly where it belonged the whole entire time! Oh Say Can You Seed? is the amusing tale of a journey of a little boy and girl alongside the Cat in the Hat, Thing 1, and Thing 2. With the Cat in the Hat as their guide, these children are sure to learn lots of valuable information! Why are plants important? How do plants come to be? What do plants need to survive? Check out Oh Say Can You Seed? to find the answers to these questions and so many more!

     I was astonished to find that Oh Say Can You Seed? was not actually written or illustrated by Dr. Suess. Both the text and detailed drawings are very Suessian. I believe Ruiz did a wonderful job staying true to Dr. Suess' vision for these characters. Because the Cat in the Hat and Thing 1 and Thing 2 are primary characters in this story, I believe many children would be drawn to this nonfiction book. Dr. Suess' characters are easily recognizable and shared favorites across many generations. I believe Ruiz's illustrations of these beloved characters will motivate students to read, listen, and learn about plants and seeds. Aristides Ruiz also incorporates numerous diagrams with headings, labels, and captions. These informational text features are sure to assist readers in understanding plant growth.

     Obviously, this book would work well with a lesson on plants or seeds. The story covers many aspects of plants: uses, kinds of plants, parts of a seed, parts of a plant, life cycle, kinds of leaves, things plants need to survive, parts of a flower, fruit, pollination, and how seeds travel. In my practicum, my third grade students are currently growing their own bean plants. I think it would be a wonderful idea to have read this book prior, as it specifically identifies parts of a bean plant. Then, introduce the science experiment and allow students to grow their own bean plants and chart the growth over time. Using this book as a tool, I think it would be excellent to engage students in the life cycle of a plant by sorting them in groups and having them reenact how a seed turns into a plant. For instance, one group would be seeds, another would be rain, another sunshine, another flowers, etc.. Students would have a blast acting out their role while also learning about plant life cycles. Originating from a Dr. Suess classic, this book would also be a great story to use when talking about poetry and rhyme scheme. Written entirely in four-lined stanzas and ABCB rhyme, Oh Say Can You Seed? would be a great example to use in the classroom. Depending on the grade level, students could identify rhyming words, or even the rhyme scheme and create their own four-lined stanza using end rhyme. The grade level listed for this book is K-2; however, I think it may be best suited for grades 2-4. I feel that the large quantity of scientific information may interfere with Kindergartener's comprehension. Fourth graders, on the other hand, could effectively read this and identify key facts about seeds independently.

Marching With Aunt Susan

Marching With Aunt Susan

Written by Claire Rudolf Murphy

Illustrated by Stacey Schuett

Peachtree Publishers, 2011

36 Pages

Historical Fiction

     "Strenuous excercise is not for girls," Bessie's father said. "You're not strong enough," Enie told her. "It's not ladylike," Charlie added. Their words swirled around in Bessie's head as she tried to understand why she couldn't go hiking with her father and brothers. Bessie could ride her bike faster than anyone on the block. The reason couldn't be her strength. It must be because she is a girl. Mama says Aunt Mary will be arriving soon to the suffrage tea party with the guest of honor, Miss Susan B. Anthony. When Bessie meets Aunt Susan, she learns about all the different activities women are allowed to participate in. Aunt Susan invites Bessie to a women's rights rally in San Francisco. Will change come over night? Will Bessie ever get to hike with her brothers? Read Marching With Aunt Susan to hear Bessie's story about women's suffrage.

     The vibrant and detailed illustrations are what captured my interest in this book. Schuett uses gouache on watercolor paper to create her paintings on the cover and throughout the story. In addition, the beginning and ending of the book contain real newspaper clippings, letters, pictures, and postcards from the late 1800's and early 1900's. I love that Murphy and Schuett went to such great lengths as to search for and include primary sources to accurately record the history of women's suffrage.The paintings are lively and apppropriate for the historical fiction storyline of Marching With Aunt Susan, while the unaltered, real pieces of history provide this book with historical validity.

    This story could be used in the classroom for many purposes. In addition to reading comprehension and writing, Marching With Aunt Susan would be a great tool for teaching lessons about voting, women's rights, and Susan B. Anthony. I found many great ideas from the website: http://www.socstrpr.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/8-Final-Summer-2013-MS06529-Troncale.pdf. I love the idea of presenting two choices for students to vote on, such as having recess inside or outside before introducing the book. Then, while passing out ballots, the teacher will explain that only boys will be able to vote. After tallying votes, the teacher would allow students to quickwrite about how the girls felt about not being able to vote and why both genders should have a say. In my own classroom, I would choose to give girls the only right to vote. This way, the boys can better understand what women went through and connect more to the story since it is written from a girl's perspective. A great activity for after reading and discussing Susan B. Anthony's life, is to divide students into groups and allow each group to create a Bio Cube. On the Bio Cube, students would include the acts and contributions of a current woman reformer or activist of their choice. An idea I had after viewing the primary sources placed at the beginning and ending of the book, is to have students create their own political cartoon or slogan in favor of women's rights. Because this book includes a biography of Susan B. Anthony, a timeline of Women's Suffrage, real photographs, headings, newspaper articles, political cartoons, and letters, it could also be a great resource for teaching about nonfiction or informational text features. This book is best suited for grades 2-4.

Being Wendy

Being Wendy

Written by Fran Drescher

Illustrated by Amy Blay

Penguin Group, 2011
40 pages
Book Trailer

Wild About Books

Wild About Books

Written by Judy Sierra

Illustrated by Marc Brown

Random House Children's Books, 2004

40 pages

Modern Fantasy

     The title and illustrations of Wild About Books captured my attention, but it wasn't until I opened the book that I fell in love. Judy Sierra begins the story with a librarian named Molly McGrew. Molly mistakenly drives her bookmobile to the zoo. At first, the animals only seem to watch from a distance. But soon, they are enticed by Molly's reading Dr. Suess aloud. First a mink, then a moose, a wombat, an oryx, a lemur, and many more animals follow. In a flash, every beast in the zoo was stampeding to learn all about this new something called reading!

     Marc Brown's drawn, cartoon-like illustrations really bring this book to life. The pages are busy and full of color. He devotes attention down to the tiny details and brings humor to this delightful story. For instance, the text doesn't mention that the elephants read Dumbo, and the giraffes read books about basketball. This is information only gained from the illustrations. Brown's contribution to Wild About Books gives Sierra's clever wording even more quirky flavor.

      This book is appropriate for Preschool - 3rd grade. The book was published on the 100th anniversary of Dr. Seuss's birth and is dedicated to him. It has been a New York Times #1 Children's Bestseller. My favorite thing about this book is its versatility. I plan to use this book on the very first day of school. This is the perfect story to set the tone for reading in the classroom. Reading is supposed to be fun! There are books for everyone! In the story, Molly taught lessons on how to treat books right, like teaching the boa constrictor not to squeeze Crictor too tight. In my own classroom, I see myself using this as a gateway for discussions on how to take care of books, which is something that should be taught, especially in younger grades. Wild About Books references other works, which can lead to children's curiosity of even more literature such as Dr. Suess, Harry Potter, Nancy Drew, Goodnight Moon, and The Wizard of Oz. This book is also a great supplement for teaching about rhyming words and alliteration, as both are used consistently throughout the story (in addition to other figurative language). By the end of the story, the animals had become authors of their own. The bugs were even scribbling haiku. This could be used to lead into a poetry lesson. The scorpion gave stinging reviews using exceptional vocabulary such as "pretentious" and "redundant". I love that this book is filled with so many different routes of discovery that children can take. This book also talks about various types of animals, both common and rare. Wild About Books would be an excellent motivation resource for a science lesson on animals.

The Three Silly Girls Grubb

The Three Silly Girls Grubb

Written and illustrated by: John and Ann Hassett

Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002

32 pages

Fractured Fairytale

     The Three Silly Girls Grubb is a new twist on the old classic folktale The Three Billy Goats Gruff. I previously selected The Three Billy Goats Gruff as my traditional literature book, so I thought it would be a great idea to choose a fractured fairytale based off the same story. This modern version begins with three silly sisters named Grubb. One day, the three girls miss the bus and have to cross a bridge to get to school. Under the bridge lives Ugly-Boy Bobby. One by one, the three Grubbs skip over the bridge. Ugly-Boy Bobby stops each sister and demands her lunch. Do they get toads stuffed in their sneakers? Do they get bats in their hair? Or by some miracle, do they get to keep their lunches? Read this story to find out!

     The illustrations in The Three Silly Girls Grubb are just as silly and fun as the words. The cartoon drawings and the round faces of the characters are especially good for expressing emotions. The picture details show additional traits of the characters that the words in the story cannot and do not portray. Ugly-Boy Bobby is an unruly bully all the way down to his untied shoe strings! Ugly- Boy Bobby's transformation at the end of the story is only made complete by the illustrations. The Hassett's have a fine tuned attention for detail in the images of this book.

     The Three Silly Girls Grubb would be appropriate for PreK-3^rd grade audiences. This modern twist on an old tale has received the Virginia Young Readers Primary Book Award. In a social studies lesson, this book might be a great way to introduce transportation. The three girls in the story miss the school bus in the morning and find themselves in trouble. How did you get to school this morning? What procedures should you take if riding the bus? This can lead to lessons about bus and pedestrian safety. Math concepts such as big, bigger, biggest can easily be explored using the Grubb sisters as examples. Math vocabulary can also be taught when reading The Three Silly Girls Grubb. How many jelly donuts does the biggest Grubb sister have if she has a dozen? A half dozen? In science, the students might create the setting (bridge) using marshmallows, toothpicks, and popsicle sticks as I mentioned for The Three Billy Goats Gruff. I also love the idea of reading both of these stories as a class and comparing and contrasting them using a Venn diagram.

The Three Billy Goats Gruff

The Three Billy Goats Gruff

Written and illustrated by: Paul Galdone

Houghton Mifflin Company, 1973

32 pages

Traditional Literature

     The Three Billy Goats Gruff classic is a folktale most of us are familiar with. I remember the first time I read this story as a kid. Once upon a time, there were three Billy Goats, and they were all named Gruff. The Billy Goats had very little grass in the valley, so they decide to go up the hillside where they can eat and get fat, because they were very hungry. To get there, each Billy Goat Gruff must cross a bridge. One by one, they encounter the mean and ugly Troll. Will he let them live? Will he gobble them up? Read this story to find out if the three Billy Goats Gruff make it to the other side! I think this book is an excellent example of traditional literature because it is easy to understand, uses repetition, and can be found in many different versions.

     Galdone’s full-color, pen and ink wash illustrations are wild and woolly. The artist uses thin, multicolored lines , especially with the troll’s hair. Bold perspectives, such as one view of the goat from under the bridge, add suspense and drama. Each illustration is drawn in a doublespread layout, which gives the reader a large overview of the scene and its intended mood. The illustrations are a vital part of the story. The size comparison of the three Billy Goats Gruff, the hideous appearance of the troll, and the lush view of the hillside are all brought to life within the hand-drawn images.

     The Three Billy Goats Gruff would be an appropriate book for PreK-3. This retelling of The Three Billy Goats Gruff has not received any awards, but Paul Galdone has been awarded the Caldecott Honor for other works. I found four activities to go along with the book. For beginning lessons to teach the elements of a story, students will receive a graphic organizer to draw and describe a character from the book. Students will then create the setting (bridge) using marshmallows, toothpicks, and popsicle sticks (science). To work on sequence of events, we will have Reader's Theater, and students will get to reenact the story. Using this book for sequence is also a great opportunity to teach math objectives. Students will tell which Billy Goat Gruff was first, second, third/smallest, middle, biggest. Lastly, everyone will create their own flip book including characters, setting, and sequence of events.  

Hey, You!

Hey, You!

Selected by Paul B. Janeczko

Illustrated by Robert Rayevsky

HarperCollins, 2007

40 pages

Poetry

     As I search the rows of books in my local library for poetry collections, I find a one book titled with red capital letters, "HEY, YOU!" I quickly look behind me to see whose attention the book is trying to grab. But it seems as though I'm the only one here. Is this book talking to me? I had to open it to find out! Hey, You! is an anthology of poetry collected from various authors written on various subjects. The one thing all 30 of these poems have in common, is that they are all written to something. A silly poem written to warn a fork and a heartfelt whisper to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial can now be found within the same 40 pages. I love this book because it is so versatile. Today, do I want to read a poem written to a mailbox? A skyscraper? An octopus? A black hole? An astronaut? There are so many options, I know I can't go wrong!

     Robert Rayevsky's illustrations are the perfect companion for this collection of poems. Rayevsky uses multiple forms of media ranging from cartoons to watercolor paintings and mixed-media collages. Each doublespread layout transforms with each poem. "Whispers to the Wall" has horizontal lines, dark value, and calm colors; "Skyscraper" has vertical lines, light value, and bright colors. Each illustration is fitting to the poem itself so that the artwork is a continuation of the mood set in words. Rayevsky's use of heavy black line, bold colors, and broadly brushed, often semi-abstract backgrounds create a texture to the images as though we might grab an object straight off the page!

     This anthology would be a great asset in an elementary classroom. I believe this set of poems would be very appropriate for 1st-4th grade. Although this book does not have any awards, it does contain pieces from award winning poets. Before beginning a space science unit (or even to conclude a space science unit), it would be great idea to read "To an Astronaut" by Beverly McLoughland. Students could discuss what it would be like to be an astronaut. Would you be lonely? What would you see in space? Would it make you miss and love Earth even more? Students could have class discussions, complete a pros and cons graphic organizer, or do creative writing about the time they went to space. For language arts, I believe "Little Blanco River" by Naomi Shihab Nyeand and "Toad" by Norman MacCaig would be excellent for identifying descriptive and figurative language. What words in "Little Blanco River" are describing touch? Sound? Sight? Taste? Smell? In the poem "Toad," "Stop looking like a purse" is an example of which figurative language device? This lesson might be an independent reading assignment, read aloud, or shared reading. "Whispers to the Wall" by Rebecca Kai Dotlich could easily be used in a social studies lesson. If students were reading about the Vietnam War (or any war), this poem could help relate what students have learned to a soldier's sacrifice for our country. Perhaps if it were close to Veteran's Day, students could write a letter to retired veterans or active military thanking them for their service.