Sarah, Plain and Tall

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(realistic/historical)

Sarah, Plain and Tall

by Patricia MacLachlan

This book was about a girl named Anna, her brother Caleb, and their father who live on a farm. Their mother died the day she gave birth to Caleb. Now that the kids are older they miss their mother even more. Jacob, their father, puts an ad in the newspaper for a wife. He gets a letter from a woman named Sarah who lives by the sea in Maine. Sarah comes and stays with them and Anna, Caleb, and Jacob all love her instantly. Sarah is very tough and headstrong and likes to do things her own way. Anna and Caleb worry everyday that she will go back home to Maine because she misses the sea. One day Sarah goes to town, and Anna and Caleb don't think she will come back home. However, at dusk they see her wagon pull up and she is back from town and she brought them presents. She agrees to the wedding with Jacob and becomes their new mother. I would use this book in the classroom to teach my kids about family diversity. Many kids can relate to having only one parent, or their parent getting remarried and they get a new mom or dad. This book will inform them about single parent families and let them know they are not the only one in that situation.

Twister on Tuesday

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(realistic fiction)

Twister on Tuesday

by Mary Pope Osborne

This book is part of a series called the Magic Tree House series. In this book a brother and sister named Jack and Annie go to the tree house they found a long time ago. It is a magical tree house filled with books and you get to travel to the setting of the book. The owner of the tree house needs them to get four pieces of writing to save the tree house. They need something you can follow, something you can send, something you can learn, and something you can lend. In this book, they are looking for something they can learn. Jack and Annie start to read a book in the tree house called "Life on the Prairie" and they find themselves in Kansas during pioneer times. They roam around and find a school house. They attend school for a while, then Miss Neely has them copy a quote onto their slate. Jack discovers that this is the piece of writing that is something to learn. Jack and Annie leave school to go back home, but on their way back to the tree house a Twister comes. They run back to the school house to save Miss Neely and  the rest of the class. After the Twister is over, Jeb, the bully, is nicer to Jack and Annie. Jack and Annie head back to the tree house, go home, and prepare for their next journey. I would use this book in my classroom to teach about tornados. Throughout the book it is cool because it has little facts about tornados. This is useful because it is still a fun, interesting story for kids to read, but it has factual information thrown into it as well. 

Hurricanes

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(nonfiction)

Hurricanes

by Seymour Simon

This is an educational book about that tells you everything you need to know about hurricanes. It talks about what hurricanes are, where their name comes from, how they are formed, and where they occur. The book also talks about their size, speed, names, and effects. Pictures are included in the book to show the reader what a hurricane looks like on a weather map. It points out the eye of the hurricane and the bands of thunderstorms. Specific hurricane events are discussed to teach the reader about the dangerous outcomes of hurricanes. The book displays the categories of hurricanes and the criteria for each category. I would use this book in my classroom during a weather unit to teach my students about hurricanes. Especially since we live on the east coast and many hurricanes happen here it is important for everyone to be informed about them. This book is perfect for teaching my students about hurricanes because it includes every detail and fact about hurricanes and has interesting pictures and diagrams to supplement the reading.

Joan of Arc

http://www.boydsmillspress.com/coverimages/large/978-1-59078-009-1.jpg

(biography)

Joan of Arc: Heroine of France

by Ann Tompert and illustrated by Michael Garland

Wordle describing Joan of Arc:

wordle.net

I would use this book in the classroom to teach about history. Joan of Arc is a famous leader, and I can read this book to my students so that they can picture her adventures more clearly.

Thank you, Sarah

http://i.biblio.com/z/875/847/9780689847875.jpg

(biography)

Thank you, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving

by Laurie Halse Anderson and illustrated by Matt Faulkner

Story Pyramid

Sarah Hale

Dedicated, Ambitious

1800's, Civil War, Slavery

No one wanted to celebrate Thanksgiving

  Asked Politicans to nationalize Thanksgiving

Some states made Thanksgiving a holiday

All her letters were denied by Presidents

Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863

I would use this book in the classroom by reading it to my kids around Thanksgiving. Most kids already know about the history of Thanksgiving, but I didn't even know about Sarah Hale until I read this book. So I think this will broaden their knowledge about Thanksgiving and it is an interesting story that supports the holiday.

Beauty and the Beast

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(traditional/folk)

Beauty and the Beast

by Adele Geras and illustrated by Louise Brierley

In this book, a wealthy man has three daughters who are all beautiful. The youngest one, Belle, is the sweetest and most beautiful, and she never complains. The father is a merchant, and one day all of his ships at sea sink except for one. They have lost a lot of money, so the father goes to port to get his last remaining ship and money. Before he sets off, he asks his daughters what gifts they would like him to bring back. The oldest asks for a diamond, the middle asks for a pearl, and Belle asks for her father to return home safely. But she says if she must ask for a present, she would like a red rose. The merchant is not able to find a red rose in a shop so he decides to look for one along the road. He gets lost, and winds up at a mansion. He goes inside, but cannot find anyone. The mansion is enchanted and mysteriously cooks him a meal, gives him a bath, and washes his clothes. As he is leaving he sees a rose garden outside the mansion so he goes and picks a rose for Belle. At that moment he hears a loud roar and a beast appears. It is the beast that lives at the mansion and he calls father selfish for stealing from him after all the hospitality he has given him. He tells the father he must go home and send him one of his daughters on their own will and they must stay with him forever, or else the father must come back and be punished. Belle goes happily for her father and stays with the beast. She is very scared of him at first and misses her family but she becomes used to the mansion and starts to enjoy it. The beast asks her to marry him everyday but Belle always says no. One day she finds out her father is sick and asks the beast to let her go home to him. The beast allows her to go, and asks her to please come back to him. Belle stays with her father for a few weeks and misses the beast while she is away. One night she looks in her magic mirror and sees that the beast is dying in the rose garden. She hurries back to the beast and finds him unconcscious in the rose garden. She cries over him and tells him she loves him. The beast wakes back up, but as a handsome young man. He tells Belle of the curse a bad fairy put on him, that he would be a beast until a woman agreed to marry him. They end up getting married and live happily ever after. I would use this in the classroom when I was reading other fairy tales to the students. Also, to teach the students about how you cannot judge someone based on their looks. 

The Hare and the Tortoise

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(traditional/folk)

The Hare and the Tortoise

by Helen Ward

This book is the traditional story of the Hare and the Tortoise. The Hare trips over the Tortoise and falls into a thorny bush so he gets angry at the Tortoise and calls him slow and stupid. The Tortoise is more polite and instead of insulting the Hare, he challenges the Hare to a race. The Hare laughs because he can't believe the Tortoise thinks he is faster than him. On the day of the race, the race begins and the Hare shoots off ahead of th Tortoise. The Tortoise is way behind, but is moving at a steady pace. The Hare gets lost in a forest and is tired so he decides to take a nap since the Tortoise is so far behind. When he wakes up he is in a garden so he decides he will have some lunch too. The Hare thinks he has all the time in the world and that the Tortoise could never beat him. While he is eating, he hears cheering, so he runs to the finish line and gets there just in time to see the Tortoise crossing the finish line ahead of him. The Hare, unable to stop, runs into another thorny bush. This time he just keeps his mouth shut because he has learned his lesson. Using this book in the classroom would be excellent to read to younger kids because of the morals behind it. This story teaches you not to brag, not to insult others, and not to be arrogant. Most younger kids think they are the best at everything and will often fall into this trap. This book teaches them to be wise and always do their best, instead of thinking they will always win or be better than someone else. 

Sign of the Beaver

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(realistic fiction)
The Sign of the Beaver
by Elizabeth George Speare

This story takes place in 1768, and begins with a young boy named Matt and his dad who move to Maine. Matt is left alone in this unknown place while his Dad travels back to Massachusetts to get the rest of their family. Matt is young and very afraid while his Dad is gone. He only has a rifle to protect himself, and that gets stolen. He is running low on food so one day he eats honey out of a beehive and the bees attack him so he jumps into the water. He starts to drown, but the Indians save him. Matt is grateful they saved his life, and the Indian leader, Sakinis, asks Matt to teach his grandson, Attean, how to read in return. Attean is mean to Matt at first and Matt does not know what to do or how to teach him, But eventually they become great friends. Attean even asks Matt to join his Indian tribe since his family still hasn’t returned in months. However, Matt decides to stay and wait for his family, who eventually return, but the two friends are sad to leave each other. I would use this book in my classroom when I was teaching my students about early settlers and the hostility between the Americans and the Native Americans when we first came here.

Hazel Nutt Alien Hunter

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(science fiction)
Hazel Nutt Alien Hunter
by David Elliot and illustrated by True Kelley

This book is about a little girl, Hazel Nutt, who is an Alien Hunter. She is the captain of her spaceship the “Boobyprize” and he first mate is her two-headed friend, Igor. They want to travel to unknown planets. As they are flying through space, giant meatballs start hitting them so they must make an emergency landing. They land on the planet “Wutt” and accidentally land on the Wuttites leader. Hazel Nutt gives the Wuttites a ladder in place of the leader she accidentally killed. They become friends with the Wuttites but then it is time to leave. They take off again in the “Boobyprize” in search of another planet. I would use this book in the classroom to teach the kids about outer space and that their are other planets. I think this would interest them and they would start to wonder if there are aliens on other planets or not. While this book is fictional, it would stand as a good starter for a conversation with the kids about Space and the planets.

Hello, Robots

http://www.bobstaake.com/hellorobots/images/hellorobots_cover.jpeg

(science fiction)
Hello, Robots
by Bob Staake

This book is about four robots named Blink, Zinc, Blip, and Zip. The robots run around all day doing chores like baking pies and mopping the floor. Then they go outside to do more chores, and a storm comes! The rain messes up the robots and the robots start doing crazy chores like raking windows, shining grass, and baking birdhouses. They decide to switch their heads to see if that will fix the mix up. After they switch heads they are back to normal and back to their constant chores. This book is cute for the younger kids because it rhymes. I would use this book in the classroom to teach kids about robots and technology. Also, you could use it along with electricity because the robots get ruined in the rain since they are electrical. The book could also be used to help teach kids rhyming and rhythm.

Marveltown

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(science fiction)
Marveltown
by Bruce McCall

This creative book was about a place called Marveltown where inventors live and do everything fast. They have a floating freeway, they go sky-skiing, and a mechanical-animal zoo. On Saturdays the kids get to go to the Invent-o-Drome and make their own inventions. Each kid creates something like an airplane that is light as a feather, hypno-goggles, and a ripple rug. While the kids are inventing, the parents are too. They are creating robots to build a skyway. They create the robots and the robots do every daily chore possible, as well as start building the skyway. However, one night a mouse chews threw a wire, and it sends a mixed message to the robots telling them to crush Marveltown! As the robots attack, all the parents run and hide. But the kids stay and use their inventions to fight and defeat the robots. The skyway can’t be finished, but atleast Marveltown is still there! I think kids would absolutely love this book. The pictures are of contraptions and inventions that are unrealistic but so cool. I think this would enhance their own creative thinking and that they would be mesmerized by the creativity in the pictures. I would use this book to talk about inventions, technology, and the future. This book could provide insight and inspiration to little kids to one day create their own invention to better the world.

The Last Knight

http://library.buffalo.edu/libraries/asl/guides/graphicnovels/img/lastknight.jpg

(realistic/historical)
The Last Knight
by Will Eisner

This graphic novel is about the stories and legends of Don Quixote, a man who dreamed that he was a knight. His real name is Alanzo, and his squire Sancho follows him around. Alanzo reads all day about knighthood and chivalry and so he puts on his great grandfather’s armor and goes around town doing good deeds. All of his townspeople think he is insane and so does anyone who he encounters. He goes around finding people to help, but everytime he tries to help someone he ends up being defeated. He stays confident and motivated by his dream. Sancho starts to believe in him and his dream and acts as his emotional support when he is feeling down. When Alanzo is old in his bed, he tells Sancho that he isn’t really a knight. And Sancho tells him he is what he believed, and thanks Alanzo for giving them a dream, something to believe in. Then a man named Miguel Cervantes, the author or Don Quixote, arrives and tells Alanzo he has written a book about his adventures. He says the adventures will show people the value of dreams. He named Alanzo the knight, Don Quixote, De La Mancha, and people read of his stories forever. I would use this book in the classroom to get students interested in the past. Also, to talk about other cultures and stories that have been passed down from generation to generation. Most kids, especially boys love to hear about knights and battles, so I think this book would capture their attention.

Manfish

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(biography)
Manfish
A Story of Jacques Cousteau
by Jennifer Berne and illustrated by Eric Puybaret

This is an inspiring biography about Jacques Cousteau, a french man who was the co inventor of the aqua lung and who discovered and explored the sea, made movies about the sea, and advocated cleanliness of the seas. The biography starts in his childhood and explains his love and adoration for water. He had always dreamed of being able to breathe underwater. He experiments and creates with machines and makes tons of movies. He ends up joining the French Navy, and one day he is given a pair of goggles and is introduced to the amazing underwater ocean. Jacques and his two friends, Phillipe and Didi, start diving, making rubber suits and flippers. Finally, he created his dream. He invented the aqua lung and was able to breathe underwater! The three men get a ship and travel the ocean filming and exploring all of the fish and plants. Jacques notices that fish and plants are dying because of pollution. So he starts making movies and speeches to inform people and get them to protect the ocean. This book has amazing pictures and an interesting format. Sometimes the words are vertical on the page instead of horizontal and some of the pages open up like a folder. I would use this book in the classroom to teach my students about inventions and to teach them about oceanography and pollution. This book covers many topics in one, and it is also a biography. This book could open their eyes to their impact on the world and also inspire them to have their own dreams and make their own discoveries.

Tikki Tikki Tembo

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(multicultural/international)

Tikki Tikki Tembo
by Arlene Mosel and illustrated by Blair Lent

This story is about a mother and her two sons in China. She names her first son Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo, which means “the most wonderful thing in the whold wide world.” And she named her second son Chang, which means “little or nothing.” She did this because in China it was a tradition to name your first son a great and long name, and second sons were given an meaningless name. Every day the two sons went with their mother to the stream where she washed clothes. There was a well and their mother always warned them not to go near it. They didn’t listen to their mother and Chang fell into the well. Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo ran back to his mother and told her what happened. She told him to go get the old man with the ladder. So the old man with the ladder gets Chang out. The boys didn’t go back to the well for a while, but when they did go again Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo fell into the well. Chang ran back to his mother to tell her but his brother’s name is so long he cannot say it because he is out of breath. When he finally got it out, he had to go get the old man with the ladder and he had to try and say the name again. The old man got Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo out of the well finally, but it took him a long time to recover because he had been in the well so long. Since then, the Chinese always give their children short names instead of long ones. I think this is a great story that little kids love especially. I would use it in the classroom to read my students a story about a different culture. Also, it would be a way to get them to read with me because they would catch on to the long name and chant it with me.

Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars

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(nonfiction)
Comets, Stars, The Moon, and Mars
by Douglas Florian

This book is a cute compilation of short poems about outer space. The poems include information about stars, planets, the galazy, and constellations. The poems are fun for kids because they rhyme and this helps teach kids rhythm. There is a poem for each planet and they go in depth teaching kids facts about the planets in a fun way that they will remember. The book has fun illustrations and cut outs that capture the reader’s eyes. I would use this book in the classroom when I taught my kids about outer space and the solar system. I think they would be really engaged and this book would help to get them interested in the topic. Also, I could do an activity after reading, where the kids got to write their own poem about one of the planets.

Sneeze!

http://www.janthebooklady.com/images/sneeze.jpg

(nonfiction)
Sneeze!
by Alexandra Siy and Dennis Kunkel

This is an educational book about sneezing. It goes through nine different scenarios that cause people to sneeze such as pollen, pepper, mites, mold, dust, down, disease, hair, and sunshine. Each scenario also explains why the substance makes you sneeze and explains how it makes you sneeze. Each scenario also has a picture of the allergen that is magnified under a microscope. After the scenarios the book goes on to tell you about what a sneeze is, how a sneeze happens, the path it takes through your body, and the speed of a sneeze. In this book you will learn everything there is to know about sneezing and alot about how the nose and some parts of the body work. I would use this book in the classroom during a health lesson or during pollen season to explain the human body or allergies to the students. I think the students would really enjoy this book because each scenario involves a child and the pictures are very intriguing.

The Irish Cinderlad

http://www.jefferson.lib.la.us/images_09/irish%20cinderlad.jpg

(multicultural/international literature)
The Irish Cinderlad
by Shirley Clino and illustrated by Loretta Krupinski

This is another version of Cinderella but was very different from any Cinderella story I have ever heard. A young boy named Becan is born and he is very small for a boy, but his feet keep growing and growing. One day his mother died, and his father remarried. His new stepmother and stepsisters are evil and make him herd the cows and they don’t ever feed him. One day he becomes friends with the speckled bull that is feared by many in the town. The bull becomes his best friend and he allows Becan to pull food out of his ears daily because his family doesn’t feed him. When Becan’s stepmother hears of this she plans to kill the bull. Becan and the bull runaway and then the bull tells Becan he is going to die soon when he fights a grey bull they will meet. He tells Becan to take his tail and it will protect him. Sure enough, the bulls fight and the speckled bull dies. Becan takes the speckled bull’s tail and continues traveling. He comes across a man on a horse who asks him to come be his herdman. One day Becan is herding the cows and encounters the giant next door. The giant tries to kill him, but Becan uses the bull’s tail to choke him and then takes his boots. He lets the giant go and he runs away. Later, Becan hears of a princess who is going to be eaten by a huge dragon. He goes to save her and ends up suffocating the dragon with the tail. As he is fleeing the scene, the princess takes his boot. She searches everywhere making men try on the boot to find the man she wants to marry who saved her. Finally, she finds Becan and they get married and live happily ever after. This book is a very different version of Cinderella. I would use this book in the classroom after I had read other Cinderella versions so that the students could compare and contrast. Also, I would use it to introduce them to books from different cultures.

Cinderella Skeleton

http://www.thebookstacks.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/10/cinderellaskeleton.jpg

(multicultural/international)
Cinderella Skeleton
by Robert D. San Souci and illustrated by David Catrow

Cinderella Skeleton is a cute story that puts a twist on the classic Cinderella fairytale. Cinderella is a skeleton in a graveyard and has evil stepsisters and an evil stepmother. They make her their servant. She must hang cobwebs, arrange dead flowers, litter the floor, and feed the bats. Cinderella spends all day helping her stepsisters get ready for the Halloween Ball that Prince Charnel is throwing. She wants to be able to go but they won't let her. After they leave she goes to find the good witch. The good witch turned a jack-o'-lantern, six rats, two bats, and a cat into a funeral wagon, six part horse part dragons, two footmen, and a driver. The witch told her she must be back by morning for then everything will disappear. Cinderella goes to the ball and she and Prince Charnel fall in love. She loses track of time and has to run out. As she is running out of the ball the Prince grabs her foot and snaps it off. The next few weeks he goes around town to every girl to see who's ankle the foot fits. All the girls snap their own foot off so they will have a chance. Finally, Prince Charnel comes to Cinderella Skeleton's graveyard and finds that she is the one. They get married and her stepsisters and stepmother shrivel to dust with jealousy. This book is a silly and fun version of Cinderella. I would use this book around Halloween to read to my students. Also, you could use it after you have read other versions of Cinderella and have the children make comparisons and differences between the stories.

my Aversboro student's wordle

   
http://www.wordle.net/.

He wrote a letter to a character in the book Sign of the Beaver and then copy/pasted it into a wordle. 

Cinderella

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Traditional/Folk Literature

Cinderella

by James Marshall

This book told the classic fairy tale of Cinderella. In this story, a young woman's mother dies and her father remarries. Her new stepmom and her two new stepsisters are very mean and rude to her. They take over the house and make Cinderella clean, sweep, cook, and sleep in the cinders. The stepmom and stepsisters order her around, call her names, and make fun of her. One night, the king held a ball for his son, the prince, to find him a wife. Cinderella spends all day helping her stepsisters get ready and they don't allow her to come with them. After they leave, a fairy godmother arrives and tells Cinderella she can go to the ball. The fairy godmother turns a pumpkin into a coach, six mice into horses, a rat into a coachman, and two lizards into footmen. Then she changes Cinderella's rags into a beautiful gown and puts glass slippers on her feet. The fairy godmother tells Cinderella she must be back before twelve o'clock because that is when everything will change back to normal. Cinderella goes to the ball and everyone wonders who the beautiful, mysterious woman is. Cinderella and the prince fall in love and dance all night long. Cinderella loses track of time and rushes out, losing her glass slipper on the way. Everything changes back and she goes home. The prince wants to find Cinderella and marry her but he doesn't know her name. He takes the glass slipper to every woman in the town to see who it fits. Finally, he comes to Cinderella's house and it fits. They get married and live happily ever after. I would use this story to teach my students about split families. Many families have single parents, stepparents, and stepbrothers and sisters. This is a good way to introduce children to it and also to help children who are in this situation to see that other people's families are like theirs too.

Missing May

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/n46/n233640.jpg

Realistic/Historical Fiction

Missing May

by Cynthia Rylant

This book demonstrates alternate lifestyles and families to children. It shows children how to deal with adoption and the death of a family member. Summer is an orphaned child who is adopted by her elderly Aunt May and Uncle Ob after being passed around from relative to relative. Summer learns what it means to love and be loved and admires the love shared between her Aunt and Uncle. When May dies, Summer and Ob are both very distraught and deal with the pain of losing a loved one for the first time. Ob is very depressed and is struggling to go on without his beloved wife. Summer is terrified that she will be left alone if Ob dies too. Cletus, a boy from school , befriends Summer and Ob and becomes their daily company. He listens to Ob's stories about May visiting him in spirit and finds a Reverend in Putnam County who can communicate with the dead. The three of them set off to find the Reverend but find out she is dead. After being dissapointed that they cannot reach May spiritually, Summer has her own spiritual encounter with May and is able to find closure. Ob and Summer start a new day and are able to finally say goodbye to May and continue living their lives. This book teaches children that it is okay to be sad when someone you love dies and to miss them, but you still must go on with your life. I would use this book in my classroom to inform students about different style families and also to show them appropriate ways to deal with death.