Read Me Stories App

Read Me Stories App

(free download in apple app store)

            Read Me Stories is a free app download that parents can easily access on their phones or tablets. It would be great for pre-k and younger elementary aged students. When you first open the app, you are greeted by a friendly character that invites you to his library. You can choose a series of books (can preview before selecting). They range from adventures to animals to songs. Each has a different number of books in its category. You may choose to read the book by yourself or have it read to you. The pictures to do move (it is a solitary picture), but there is music and interactive sounds that go with the reading. You must move from page to page as you go along. The words are highlighted as they are read so students can follow along. You can click on the characters to get a message from them (they talk directly to the reader, introduce themselves and ask a question, furthering the engagement and interaction. The stories are read at a slow pace, but model fluency and expression. 

            Although engaging, the stories are long and require patience. Students may need to have a lot of stamina if they are following the read along, rather than just reading by themselves. For those who have less stamina, I would recommend an adult reading to them.

Storyline Online

Storyline Online

http://www.storylineonline.net/

            Storyline Online is another excellent recourse for the classroom. Students can select from multiple popular stories and have their own personal read aloud! Well known celebrities and famous people take the time to record themselves reading a story, then, students have the ability to hear a new voice and see a new face reading them a book. 

            You can search books by title, author or reader (if you are looking for a certain person to read to you). This is a great way to engage students in listening to reading. There are also activity guides to go along with the books, which you can download and use with the class if they are all listening to a certain story.

Tumblebooks

Tumblebooks

http://asp.tumblebooks.com/library/asp/home_tumblebooks.asp

            Tumblebooks is an excellent digital story book website that I would highly recommend for classroom or at home use. Students can choose from story books, chapter books, games, etc.

            When you select “story books” from the home page, you can sort and choose based on title, author, reading level or what’s new. This can allow teachers to help students choose appropriate books. When the book is displayed, it provides information such as author and illustrator, publisher, “TumbleTime” (how long it takes to read through it), as well as reading level (including common core aligned standards). There is a description about the book as well as the keywords featured in the story. 

            When the students begin reading, there is music to accompany the story. Students listen to the story, as it is read aloud. Words are highlighted (in phrasing) for students to follow along with the reader. There are a few question/answers at the end of the story (not comprehension questions, just facts that the reader might be curious about).

            After reading, you can add the book to your favorites or to a certain playlist. This can allow teachers to see what their students like to read, or create a playlist that they want their students to be reading from.

            I think tumblebooks is a fabulous site that all teachers should have and use in their classroom!

Slugs In Love

Slugs In Love

By Susan Pearson

Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 2006

This adorable love story is told about two slugs that are poets. They do not know each other, but Marylou has a “crush” on Herbie. Through the poems she writes, Herbie becomes aware of who she is, and begins to write poems back to her. In the end, they finally meet and live happily ever after. 

I think that this book is the perfect introduction to poetry for young students (pre-k, k, 1). The story has a narrator as well as poems on every page. This would be a good introduction because students can compare the different voices of the narrator and the poems written by each of the characters. Poetry is often a genre that students steer clear of, so it is very important for us as teachers to find books that enlighten them to what poetry can do.

The Story Goes On

The Story Goes On

By Mique Fisher

Roaring Book Press, 2002

The Story Goes On is an interesting take on the life cycle. Told in rhyming poems, the story starts with a seed that turns into a plant, which is eaten by a bug. The bug then gets eaten by a frog, and so on and so forth. At the end, we are taken back to a seed that is growing into a plant. I like the idea of telling a story through a poem, as well as being able to make cross-curricular connections, in this case to science. Being able to overlap so many areas into one book can often be so beneficial (and a time saver, which teachers need!) The illustrations were very colorful. You could have students make a similar project to this book. They could each be given a different animal or plant and asked to create its life cycle through illustrations and poems. By reading this book as an introduction, the students would have an example as well as something to enjoy.

Mirror, Mirror

Mirror, Mirror

By Marilyn Singer

Penguin Group, Inc. (2010)

Mirror, Mirror is a book of reversible poems. Singer calls it “reverso”. “When you read a reverso down, it is one poem. When you read it up, with changes allowed only in punctuation and capitalization it is a different poem.” Singer uses fairy tales and common stories that children are familiar with to write reverso poems about. Some in this book are Mirror, Mirror (snow white), The Doubtful Duckling (the ugly duckling), Full of Beans (Jack and The Beanstalk), and Have Another Chocolate (Hansel and Gretel). Each of her poems contains a beautiful illustration on one side of the page (by Josée Masee.) The colors are bright and the pictures match the familiar fairy tale. The other side of the page is split by the “two” poems. They are in different colors and easy for students to distinguish and compare.

I think this would be a great book to read to children and allow them to read before starting a writing unit. This would be such a creative and fun way to turn students on to writing, as many usually don’t like to write. Reverso poems could be fun and challenging for many students.

Love That Dog

Love That Dog
By Sharon Creech
HarperTrophy, 2001

I absolutely LOVED this book. I finished it in less than a half an hour and it made me cry. An easy read, it would be great for kids as an introduction to poetry. Although not "typical" poetry, this free verse novel is told from the point of view of a young boy named Jack who is anything but willing to read and write poetry. We follow is writing process and with him, see his growth and confidence build. He even writes to his favorite poet who ends up coming to visit him! But of course, titled "Love That Dog", Jack writes about his beloved Sky, his yellow lab that is no longer alive. This part pulled heart strings for me, because I am such a dog lover and I have lost a pet before. It's one of the worst feelings, as pets just love unconditionally.
This book also has a sequel called "Hate That Cat", also told from the point of view of Jack. It is told the following year, but he still has the same teacher. I think reading each one to a class would be an excellent idea. "Love That Dog" at the beginning of a poetry unit, as students are often reluctant when it comes to poetry. Then reading "Hate That Cat" when the unit is coming to a close, so the students can see Jack's growth as well as their own. This is the type of book that I think should he displayed on the document camera while being read, so the students can see the style and format of writing. It plays a very important role in this book.

John Phillip Duck

John Phillip Duck

By Patricia Polacco

Scholastic Inc., 2004

John Phillip Duck is an adorable story of a boy named Edward to gets a pet duck. He trains him to “dance” to the John Phillip Sousa March. He comes to live with Edward and his family at the hotel where Edward’s father works. Many hotel members become fond of him, and help to hide him from Mr. Schutt, the hotel manager. When Mr. Schutt finds out about the duck, he gives Edward one month to train other ducks to march like John Phillip Duck. If they succeed, they can stay in the fountain at the hotel. And of course, they do!

I thought this was such a cute story, and a great one to read aloud to children. It would be a fun fiction read aloud to incorporate during a study on birds or animals when the text is mostly informational. It is a rather long picture book, so it might be good to break up over a few days if you want to read it aloud.

The illustrations are bright and colorful, and almost make the ducks look like they are smiling!

Betsy Ross

Betsy Ross

by Becky White

Scholastic Inc., 2011

Betsy Ross is a great picture book for primary students. It can obviously be used to teach social studies and the history of our flag, but White uses a lot of language elements that can be discussed. She uses repetition and also the separation of words. (Ex. Betsy ripped. Rip, rip; Betsy clipped. Clip, clip.) I know in my classroom we discuss syllables and suffixes, so a book like this would be great for students to be able to identify those parts of words. 

The artwork (illustrated by Megan Lloyd) is colorful and realistic. It shows close up drawings of the part of the flag that Betsy is working on. Students can examine the parts up close, and learn about sewing and its process. They can also learn that our flag started with 13 stars, rather than 50. Many students in primary grades will not know that our country started as the 13 colonies, so this is a great teaching point.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. If you school year doesn’t cover Betsy Ross or the making of the flag, it could be a great read aloud on Flag Day. It could also go with a lot of great flag-making activities!

Hello, Ocean

Hello, Ocean 

by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Charlesbridge, 2001

Hello, Ocean is a beautifully written book by Pam Muñoz Ryan. Ryan describes the ocean in intricate detail, while still using common words that children will recognize. This book goes through all of your senses and how you perceive the ocean through each of them. It is detailed and beautifully illustrated. I think it is a great book to use for a read aloud, especially during the seasons. It is the perfect book to read about summer, as many children have visited the beach. You can discuss the difference between the beach that you visit on the ocean, or if you go to a place where there is a lake or river and thus the difference.

I enjoyed this book because Ryan not only describes a place that I love, but she really makes you believe that you are there. If this were read aloud to me,  I would want to close my eyes and picture actually being at the beach. This is one of the reasons why I think it would be great for a read aloud. By incorporating the five senses, you can almost taste, feel, hear, see and smell the salt water.

The Graves Family Goes Camping

By Patricia Polacco

Philomel Books, 2005

I really like Polacco’s books, so I am always interested to read one of hers that I haven’t before. The Graves Family Goes Camping is a very long, but very entertaining picture book. It tells the story of spiders, specimens and a fire-breathing dragon. All that one family encounters on their summer camping trip. But when the dragon traps them in, they must find a way to escape. When they do, the dragon follows them home! Polacco’s creative mind and illustrations allow for a really funny book as well, using language that children will love.

A read-aloud of this book would be perfect for any age in elementary school; just some scaffolding would be needed for younger students. Older students could read it on their own. Due to its length, it would be a good book to break up into multiple read alouds. It would also be a great book to read around Halloween because of all the creatures and critters that the family works with.

Trouble With Wishes

Trouble With Wishes

By Diane Stanley

HarperCollins, 2007

Trouble With Wishes is a story based on Greek mythology. The setting is clearly somewhere in Greece, and the clothing is representative of ancient Greece. Students may not know this though, depending on what age group you are working with. Some children might need scaffolding or a discussion or activity in order to activate any prior knowledge they may have.

This story is about Jane and Pyg. Jane wants to be a sculptor like her best friend, Pyg. So he takes her on as an apprentice. When he creates a statute so beautiful that he wishes for it to come alive, it does. The woman does not treat Pyg nicely, and ends up leaving him. In the end, he realizes that Jane is a true person, rather than the woman (statue) he thought he wanted; so one must be careful what they wish for.

I think that this would be a good book to incorporate in middle school, when students begin learning about Ancient Greek and Rome. It can be a great read aloud to engage the students and discuss prior knowledge. Then the students can move into learning about the original myth “Pygmalion”, where he carves a statue of a woman so beautiful, that he falls in love with it.

What Littl Boys Are Made Of

What Little Boys Are Made of

by Robert Neubecker

HarperCollins, 2012

What Little Boys Are Made Of is a really cute picture book that allows the imagination to really come alive. Neubecker’s words and illustrations match perfectly to what you would lies in a young boys imagination. The story features repetition of the title through the book. By answering the question, we first see illustrations of the boy playing with the toys in his room. On the following page, we see him actually in that type of setting. (Example: “What are little boys made of? Snakes and rats and big jungle cats, vines and rocks and razor-tooth crocs!” (You see the young boy in his room with animals there too) [flip page] “That’s what little boys are made of.” (you see the boy in a jungle with giant animals surrounding him.)) This repetition is continued throughout the book.

I think that a story like this is perfect for young children in pre-school, kindergarten or even first grade. Girls would even enjoy it too, and would then want to find a book called “What Little Girls Are Made Of”.

Fairy Tale Comics

Fairy Tale Comics

Classic Tales Told by Extraordinary Cartoonists,

First Second, 2013

-Bobby, London, Emily Carroll, Gilbert Hernandez, Vanessa Davis,

Gigi D.G., Ramona Frandon and Chris Duffy, Jaime Hernandez, Luke Pearson, Brett Helquist, Joseph Lambert, Raina Telgemeier, Charise Mericle Harper, Graham Annable, Jillian Tamaki, Karl Kerschl, David Mazzucchelli, and Craig Thompson

Normally I have never picked up a comic book without having to. But, Fairy Tale Comics seemed interesting. I’ve always loved fairy tales, so why not look at them through another lens. This comic book was easy to read and maneuver, unlike others that I have seen. Having multiple stories in it, especially ones that I am familiar with, made it very interesting and a quick read. It included favorites like, Hansel and Gretel, Snow White and Goldilocks and The Three Bears. It also included some that I had never heard of, such as The Boy Who Dreamt of Cats, The Small-Tooth Dog and Bremen Town. Whether it was an old favorite or a completely new tale, this books has a lot to offer for kids, especially those who might not like to read. This comic book allows them to see fewer words on the page, accomplish reading multiple “stories” quickly and be familiar with quite a few of them. The pictures are also great because they offer a lot of interpretation and show different styles. Each story has its own characters and setting, and so many are contained in this one book. I would definitely recommend this book, and I would certainly like to have a copy of it in my classroom to share with students.

Seedfolks

Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman

HarperTrophy, 2004

Seedfolks is a touching book that opens your heart and eyes to how so many people are connected in so many ways. Hearing a small passage from the life of thirteen different people, Fleischman intertwines their lives without much dialogue or direct interaction. But the way he has written this book does not call for either. You remember each character that you have read about prior, knowing who they are when another refers to them by a description of what they look like or what they are doing. 

The way the this garden brings together a community and sense of empowerment for each person, in their own way, is extremely uplifting and powerful. Each person has their own story, their own reason for wanting to start planting. Each person is planting something different to reach his or her own goal. It shows how individual people are, yet how connected at the same time.

I think this would be a great book to teach writer’s craft. Fleischman does not use much dialogue, as I said before, nor does he return to a character’s point of view after we have heard from him once before. Some people may not like this, but in a way it allows the audience to come up with their own idea of how that person has grown because of the garden.