Fun With Roman Numerals

Fun With Roman Numerals

By David A. Adler

Holiday House Books, 2008

Fun With Roman Numerals is a great book to combine literacy and math into one. Students may not realize what roman numerals actually are, and how often they see them in every day life. This book explains what roman numerals are as well as the way they work when combined to make larger numbers.

The illustrations are bright and inviting. They have traditional roman attire that students may not recognize. This would also be a great book to read during a unit on ancient Roman times.  Combining literacy, math and social studies into one text allows students to see cross-curricular connects and how they can use these subjects in the real world. At the end, students can see photographs of roman numerals (in books, on buildings, etc.). This can also be a start to a great activity, where students must record the roman numerals they see for a week. The class can compare at the end of the week and see how many they have found, what numbers they have found, and if any of them have seen the same ones.

Anna and Solomon

Anna And Solomon

By Elaine Snyder

Margaret Ferguson Books, 2014

Anna and Solomon takes a different approach to an information text. Told in a story format, children may really enjoy it being told this way.  Written by Anna and Solomon’s granddaughter, Elaine Snyder tells the story of her grandparents’ long journey to America, and how they saved enough money and brought over their family before finally reuniting.

The illustrations are very realistic and inviting. This story would be a great one to read to children both during an information text unit, to show that not all information texts are like resource books, as well as during a unit about immigrants. This is a very positive story about hard work paying off.

Brushing Your Teeth Can Be Fun

Brushing Your Teeth Can Be Fun (and lots of other good ideas for how to grow up healthy, strong, and smart)

By Munro Leaf

Universe Publishing, 2008

“Brushing Your Teeth Can Be Fun” is a very interesting informational text. At first glance, I assumed it would be a great book to read to kids about healthy habits. Upon reading it, I’m not so sure if I agree with that original statement. Although it covers a lot of topics about being healthy, it is written in a very strict tone. I felt as though the author was almost yelling at the audience at times. 

Kids can relate to the simple drawings and the fact that they may not want to follow all of these habits (as the author often points out).  But, depending on who is reading the book to the child, it could come across in different ways.

The illustrations are simple, black and white drawings with splashes of color that would appeal to a young reader. The font is large enough that it is easy for children to read.

Journey

Journey

By Aaron Becker

Candlewick Press 2013

Journey tells the story of a little girl who imagines everything that happens to her. It is a wordless picture book of a girl who draws her own story. She uses a red crayon to tell her tale, much like Harold And The Purple Crayon, which students might be able to make the connection to (having read both).

I really enjoyed the illustrations of this book, but also really enjoyed the story. I think by making it a wordless picture book, rather than having dialogue and words throughout, the reader is about to make up their own “journey” for the young girl.  This fantasy allows children to come up with their own ideas as to why she has drawn herself into this place and what they think she will do to get herself out of trouble. 

This book uses the typical fantasy structure by creating imaginary place, giving the young girl the power to control her path, and good versus evil. At the end, the little girl begins to see someone else drawing his way into her imaginary world, only to meet a friend who is doing the same thing. Then, they ride off to their next adventure. I thought it was a really nice ending to a great book.

Man On The Moon (A Day in the Life of Bob)

Man on the Moon (A Day In The Life of Bob)

by Simon Bartram

Candlewick Press, 2002

“Man on the Moon” is a science fiction picture book that depicts Bob’s daily job to be taking care of the moon. He wakes up every morning to fly to the moon for work, clean it up, and present moon facts to the tourists that come by. He knows there are no aliens on the moon; promises there are no aliens on the moon, yet the bright and colorful pictures say otherwise. He always has lunch with his friends from other planets who have the same job that he does, just on Mars or Saturn instead of the moon.

This is a great book to read to students when doing a unit on the moon or the planets. They talk about how Bob explains to tourists Moon facts, like how many craters there are. This would be something that students might want to research, or would be so excited if they already knew. Students can also talk about how long it takes to get to the moon..is it realistic that Bob can fly there every morning and come home every evening? Students can look up and see how long it actually would take to fly to the moon.

The illustrations are very colorful and realistic. Often times, the text and pictures contradict themselves. Bob continuously talks about how there are no aliens on the moon, yet little aliens are on almost every page. Some of the pages are also just pictures with no text, which can allow students to expand on what they think is going on in the story.

Moo Cow Kaboom!

Moo Cow Kaboom!

By Thacher Hurd

Harper Collins Publishing, 2003

“Moo Cow Kaboom!” is a science fiction picture book about a “moo cow” who is abducted by aliens for their “Inter Galactic Rodeo”. The animals on Planet 246 all resemble animals on Moo Cow’s home farm and are referred to as zigs and zickens (pigs and chickens).  Eventually, Moo Cow flies home over the moon, to make his way back to his own farm. (Parallel to the cow jumped over the moon?)

This is a really cute story to read to children and discuss a science fiction book. Students know that aliens and talking animals are not real, so discussing the contents of the book is a great way to get them talking about a genre they might not be familiar with. The illustrations are very bright and grab your attention. There are also speech bubbles to add thoughts for the animals and aliens.

Wonder

Wonder

By R.J. Palacio

Random House Children’s Books, 2012

I’ve wanted to read Wonder for a long time now, and am so glad I finally got the chance. Palacio tells the story of a young boy named Auggie who is about to enter the middle school. But unlike other students his age, this is his first time going to school. He has been homeschooled most of his life due to his current condition – he was born with a genetic difference that caused his face to look different than your average person, and he has undergone multiple surgeries throughout his young life in order to stay alive. He is considered much of a medical wonder.

Auggie’s time in his first year of middle school melts the readers’ heart. You root for him and certainly against those who are against him.  Palacio allows you, as the reader, into others perspectives, as each part of the book is told by a different narrator. I really liked the way the story was written because you were able to see all the characters thoughts and feelings, rather than just how they were perceived from a different character.  This allowed the reader to go from being mad at one character to feeling sympathy for them.

Palacio captures your heart in this extremely well written realistic fiction novel. Children will certainly enjoy it, as the lingo and topics are all current. They can relate to the characters and picture themselves walking the middle school halls just as Auggie, Jack, Summer and the other characters do.

Ball

Ball

By Mary Sullivan

HMH Books for Young Readers, 2013

“Ball” is an extremely cute “wordless” picture book for young kids. The story told through pictures essential is about a dogs daily life. He looks up to and admires a young girl, but she must go to school for the day. The pictures take us through the dogs day as he tries to do everything he can with his ball, yet it is hard when he is alone. Each page has the word “Ball” on it, usually in a speech bubble, as the dog is thinking about it or essentially “barking” it.

I thought the story was really cute, as it reminded me of my own dogs. Students can create speech bubbles for the dog that say more than just “ball” and write and discuss their own pets. This can create discussion and a lesson on how to care for pets. Students can brainstorm what else the dog is thinking in the various pictures and how he is feeling while he is alone during the day. This is also a great book to help teach personification.

The Lion and The Mouse

The Lion and The Mouse

By Jerry Pinkey

Little Brown Books, 2009

I love the wordless picture book “The Lion and The Mouse”. It tells the everlasting tale of helping a friend in need. The story begins when a small mouse is caught by a lion. Readers may fear that the mouse is about to be eaten, but for some reason, the lion lets him go. Because there are no words, this allows readers to imagine why the lion let the mouse go. Was there a specific reason? This allows for exploration among students. The pictures continue to tell the story, and we find our line trapped in a net. The mouse hears his roars (each page contains some sound words) and the mouse runs to his friends rescue. With his little teeth, the mouse is able to cut the lion free.

This is a wonderful tale of friendship and helping others. I think in the classroom it is a wonderful resource to use for discussing these topics as well as exploring dialogue and what the page would say if you were the author. Students can create their own stories by adding words, coming up with a prologue or ending chapter to “complete” their versions of “The Lion and The Mouse”. This can also be a great story to read when discussing animals in a science unit.

The Snowman

The Snowman

By Raymond Briggs

Random House Books, 2000

The Snowman is a wordless picture book that allows students to tell their own story. Each page contains multiple pictures of scenarios where a little boy gets ready to go out into the snow, creates a snowman, and goes on adventures with his new friend. In the end, the little boy wakes up to find his snowman has melted. This leaves the reader to question whether or not the little boy actually went on the adventures with the snowman, or if it was all a dream.

I love wordless picture books because students become the “author” and can imagine their own words. I think using this book for young children is great, but with older children you can have them come up with their own dialogue and words to create their own story. This allows students to be creative as well as become authors. Because this book is a winter story, it would be great to use with a seasons unit and do lots of snowman crafts!

The Higher Power of Lucky

The Higher Power of Lucky

By Susan Patron

Newbery Medal 2007

Simon and Schuster, 2006 

The Higher Power of Lucky tells the story of a young girl from Hard Pan, California. She lives with her guardian and father’s first wife, Brigitte, because her mother passed away and her father never wanted children.  Lucky thinks that Brigitte wants to move back to France, so she decides to run away. Throughout the story Lucky wonders what her Higher Power is, until she realizes at the end that it was right there all along.

I really enjoyed this story because it had a lot of complex ideas going on. For me they may have been easier to pick up on than a student, but that allows so much room to guide and teach multiple things within a novel. Lucky had many complex thoughts and overheard a lot of very difficult stories, as she often listening in on AA and other “anonymous” meetings. Having conversations like these in a classroom always makes for a difficult topic, but also can be very real. A book like this allows students to really think deeply if they dive right in. Lucky is 10 years old and students may relate to her on different levels.  I think the best use for this book in a class would be to read it as a small group or assign it as an independent reading, for students who are mature and capable of reading and discussing some of the difficult topics.

My Best Friend, Abe Lincoln

My Best Friend, Abe Lincoln: A Tale of Two Boys From Indiana

by Robert L. Bloch

Castlebridge, 2011

My Best Friend, Abe Lincoln: A Tale of Two Boys From Indiana tells the story of our 16^th President’s friendship with Sam Harding. The story is told from the point of view of Sam, giving his insight into Abraham Lincoln’s early life, ultimately leading up to his presidency.

I feel that this book specifically benefits students to be told in a story format. Social studies and history are often hard topics for students to grasp. By not only telling a story, but also coming from the point of view of a young boy, students can get a much better feel of the topic. The young friendship that develops between the two can help young male students relate to someone who they may have seen as just a great historical figure.

The illustrations are cartoonish but accurate and allow students to feel as though they are apart of the story.

Happy Birthday, America!

Happy Birthday, America!

by Marsha Wilson Chall

Harper Collins, 2000

Happy Birthday, America! is a great story to read to students about the Fourth of July.  The story is told about a large extended family that gathers every year to celebrate Independence Day.  Our narrator is a young child, who looks forward to this day with his family all year. This allows students to relate, as their families probably have celebrations for the Fourth of July or other holidays. The illustrations are bright and colorful, which will catch any child’s eye.

The story talks about how the family prepares for this big event, as well as all the activities that they look forward to. This is a great opportunity to learn about your students’ lives by asking them what they do to celebrate with their families. A journal writing assignment could be used to talk about what each family does or why we celebrate the 4^th. This could then move into a social studies lesson about what the birthday of America really means.

Homeplace

Homeplace

by Anne Shelby

Scholastic Inc., 1995

Homeplace is a beautifully illustrated story told from a grandmother to her granddaughter. The story starts with her telling the story of her “great-great-great-great grandfather” who built the house that they are now living in. Throughout the story she tells her granddaughter of the hard work that her grandparents have put into the land and house that she lives in.

What I liked most about this story was the way each page told a different story of a different generation. The first set of grandparents built the house, while later grandparents were ordering furniture from a catalog. The elements of different time period can speak volumes and show children how different things were in the past.

The illustrations in this story are also one of my favorite parts. They are so detailed and contain multiple pictures per page. They are elaborate and truly show an accurate representation of hard work over time. The characters are also often positioned on the right side of the page to show the forward journey that not only they take, but that you take with them, as the reader.

Papa and The Pioneer Quilt

Papa and The Pioneer Quilt

by Jean Van Leeuwen 

The Penguin Group, 2007

Papa and The Pioneer Quilt tells the story of a family who decides to move west on the Oregon Trail. The story is told from the perspective of a young girl named Rebecca. At first, she is very reluctant to move, but throughout their journey she finds a friend in a lady named Rachel who is making a quilt. Rebecca begins to collect fabric from her journey to begin not only her own quilt, but also her own story.

Although the characters are fictional, the hardships they face while traveling the Oregon Trail were very real.  I would read a story like this to students as an introduction or during a unit on the Oregon Trail. This book can help students see what families really faced, yet through the eyes of a child. Having a young narrator allows the students to think about what it would have been like if their family were put in that situation. Rebecca discusses how she feels alone, tired, and often troubled when she sees other facing hardships worse than her families.

The illustrations in the story help to create a picture in your mind of what the Trail looked like. The clothing and setting are very real to the time period and can also help students grasp what life was like at that time.

Bud, Not Buddy

Bud, Not Buddy

Christopher Paul Curtis

Scholastic Inc. 1999

Bud, Not Buddy tells the story of a young boy who lives in an orphanage because he has lost his mother. He uses his observations of her from when he was younger to venture out into the world and find who he believes to be his father. Through some troubled waters and new friends, Bud finds his family - just not who he originally set out to find.

I really enjoyed reading this novel. I think it would be a great historical fiction novel to use in the upper elementary classroom. Bud is a brave young boy who many children will like. The story brings in elements of the time period and thus will give students something to work off of and research. They can look at the afterward from the author to learn about how the characters came to be to help them distinguish between fact and fiction. This book provides a great way to explain to children how many authors create historical fiction pieces. They may base characters off of people they know or research the time period in which they want to write about. A novel like this can create great discussions for students about this genre.

Is There Really A Human Race?

Is There Really a Human Race?

Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell

Harper Collins 2006

Is There Really A Human Race? is told from the point of view of a young boy in the form of questions. I really love that the book is told is questions, because that's what kids do, they ask! A race, to children, is running to get to the finish line. So if a child hears the term “human race”, they are going to have some questions. This picture book uses rhymes and colorful pictures to portray this young, curious mind of what his imagination thinks the human race is.

My favorite part of the book is towards the end, and what I would want to highlight in a classroom:

“Sometimes it’s better not to go fast. There are beautiful sights to see when you’re last. Shouldn't it be that you just try your best? And that’s more important than beating the rest? Shouldn’t it be looking back at the end that you judge your own race by the help that you lend?”

This book points out the importance of slowing down and enjoying what is around you, no matter what that may be. It points out the importance of being a friend, caring for others, and how that is ultimately so much more important than winning and losing.

Books with morals and messages like this are so important for children to be exposed to, as they can teach them what it means to be a good friend and put less of an emphasis on unhealthy competition. It also gets their curious minds thinking – it’s only natural for kids to have questions and it is our job as teachers to lead them in the direction to find their own answers!

The Mystery of the Missing Red Mitten

The Mystery of the Missing Red Mitten

Steven Kellog

Dial Books for Young Readers 1977

The reason I picked this book off the shelf was because it reminded me of Jan Brett’s The Mitten, which is an all time favorite. This book is a beautifully illustrated story of a young girl who has spent her day in the snow, but cannot find her red mitten. She must retrace her steps to find it. I really enjoyed the illustration because every page is black and white, except the red mitten. It is written as if the little girl is talking to you. The reader can both see and hear her thoughts.

When children are moving beyond wordless picture books, I think this story is a nice way to transition into the story picture book. This can be read aloud to young children and read by those a bit older. They can search with Annie and her dog Oscar, in hope that the red mitten will be found.

Alphabet City

Alphabet City

Stephen T. Johnson

Penguin Books 1995

*Caldecott Honor Book

Last week in class we discussed alphabet books. I found Alphabet City in the library and was drawn to it because of our class discussion. I think that Johnson does an excellent job illustrating the letters in everyday life. It is important for children to be exposed to these types of wordless picture books at an early age. They can then look for the letters (or even numbers and words) in every day life. It allows them to relate to the picture, because they can see it in their very own backyard, on their street, or in their town.

Wordless picture books are great because they can start by just beginning to show children the basics of reading (i.e. how to hold a book, turn a page, left to right). Alphabet books like this can expose children to their letters very early on.

The Bag of Bones (novel in a series)

The Bag of Bones by Vivan French

The Second Tale from the Five Kingdoms

Candlewick Press 2008

The Bag of Bones is a story of witches, good versus evil and a happily ever after. Truda Hangnail is a “deep magic” witch who is trying to take over The Five Kingdoms. It is up to the truehearts, Gracie Gillypot and Loobly Higgins to stop her – yet they don’t even know each other yet!

At first I was a bit confused by this novel. I expected to have some form of summary, as this is the second book in a series, but I quickly learned that I didn’t need any background knowledge. If I would have went into reading this novel with the attitude that it was not in a series, I would not have had the initial confusion. This was an independent story that you could read without any prior knowledge. But it left me curious as to how or if it connected to the previous novel.

I think that in a classroom, a story like this would be great for a read aloud. Sharing a chapter or two a day with the whole class will allow students to fully engage in the story. It allows them to predict what will happen, get to know the characters and discuss them, as well as be excited about what’s to come. The suspense and action throughout the plot create for a great young adult novel.

You could also have students illustrate the characters and write descriptions about them, what the motives were behind their actions, and what they think the next book will hold. Reading a series with a class can help them see connections between the stories.