The Misfits

                             "The Misfits" 

                                                                  by James Howe 

Rating

I would give this book 4 **** out of 4 stars.

SummaryThe gang of five (Addie, Skeezie, Bobby, Joe and Colin) are a group of outcasts who are determined to change their school. The students decide to try to form a third party in the student government election and they want the school's only African American student to run for president. The party is forced to disband and the students decide to start the No-Name party.

James Howe

This is an amazing chapter book that is difficult to put down. I believe it is a great book to use with children who are in upper elementary or middle school. 

This book contains controversial topics and issues that relate to elementary students and their personal issues. Joe is a character who is confused about his sexuality which is an extremely controversial issue to talk about in schools but one that is relevant to their lives directly. I know that Joe is a fictional character but I am sure there are Joe's all around the world who are afraid to speak out about their true feelings in fear of being rejected by society, their families and friends. 

Any child at any age can relate to being called a name. The gang of fives goal was the stop this epidemic. I believe this is a campaign that every elementary school, middle school and high school should adopt. Being called names, whether it be fat, lame, or gay, can have serious negative effects on children and their self esteem. It creates a hostile environment where children are afraid to be who they truly are. 

The gang of five reaches out to children who are not like them and are interested in promoting equality. They reach out to the only African American student in the school to become the future president of the student government. These children do not judge people based on their race, gender, weight or sexual orientation. These characters, while being completely different, are accepting of all people. They are good roll models for children in todays society. I would love the opportunity to hopefully teach this book in my future classroom. 

2 Choice Picture Books

"John, Paul, George, and Ben"





"John, Paul, George, and Ben" is written and illustrated by Lane Smith. I would use this book with students who are in second through fifth grade. 


Rating: I would give this book 5 ***** out of 5 stars. 




Summary: This is the story of John Hancock, Paul Revere, George Washington and Benjamin Franklin before they became legends. This book describes their childhood and how the events that happened in their lives led them to where they left their mark in history. 




I love this book and will definitely be using it in my classroom. It is a fun way to teach children about history. It also allows them to picture these influential people as children like themselves. Teachers can use this book to teach their students about each of the men featured in this book and the rolls they played in our history. 






"Amelia and Eleanor Go For A Ride"

This book is written by Pam Munoz Ryan and illustrated by Brian Selznick. I would use this book with students who were in grades four or five. 




Rating: I would give this book 3 *** out of 3 stars. 




Summary: This is the story of a night in April when Amelia Earhart and her husband visited Eleanor Roosevelt at the White House. They were great friends who loved to do things that many thought women shouldn't be doing such as flying and driving. They go on adventures doing both of those things and share dessert at the White House afterwards.


  This book can be used to talk about the relationship between friends. Both of these women shared similarities as well as differences and this never hindered the fact that they liked to spend time with each other. Teachers could also use this book to teach children about the famous women in our history, these particular women included. You could teach your students about all of the wonderful things Amelia and Eleanor accomplished in their lifetime as well as some other influential women such as Rosa Parks. This book can also be used to introduce the issues between women's rights and the traditional roles women are expected to play. 




*Both of these books contain authors notes that contain the true story behind the ones illustrated in the book. 

Multicultural Picture Books

"The Sounds of Kwanzaa" 

The book "The Sounds of Kwanzaa" was written by Dimitrea Tokunbo and illustrated by Lisa Cohen. It is written for first through fourth graders. 


Rating: I would give this book a rating of 5 ***** out of 5 stars. 

This book is dedicated to the teaching of Kwanzaa and how it is celebrated. It takes the reader step by step through the celebration of Kwanzaa. Each page is designated for a specific day during Kwanzaa and tells the reader what is done on each day. For example, on the second night of Kwanzaa one red candle is lit and traditions about self determination are shared. The illustrations accompany the Swahili word being introduced on the opposing page. 

Last sentence of each page in this book is dedicated
to which candle is lit which night. 

 This book also has some great elements that could be used in the classroom. Every page starts with the same two lines which is great for struggling readers. Patterns allow them to see the same words over and over again to be able to turn unfamiliar words into familiar words. 














"Almost to Freedom" 


"Almost to Freedom" is written by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson and illustrated by Colin Bootman. This book is written for second to fourth graders. 


Rating: I would give this book 5 ***** out of 5 stars. 


Summary: This story is told from Sally, Lindy's doll's point of view. She is constantly by Lindy's side and she is there for her during some pretty rough times. She watches Lindy get whipped by the slave master and listens intently at a late night bonfire where people speak of something called freedom. Lindy is awoken in the middle of the night and is about to embark on an extremely dangerous journey. 


This is a phenomenal picture book. I would recommend that it is used with children closer
to third or fourth grade because of the amount of text and content. This is an amazing book 
to use when teaching students about slavery. You can use this book to describe the types of work the slaves were forced to complete and the songs and traditions passed down from 
generations. Towards the beginning of the book a bonfire is held and the topic of freedom is brought up. Lindy and Sally don't know what the adults are talking about. This would be a 
great time to talk to students about what it means to be free. A class chart could be made 
with each student contributing an idea of what freedom means to them. The chart would be discussed and you can dramatically tell students that each of these items were unavailable to African Americans during this time. This is what brought about the need for the 
underground railroad. When Lindy is awakened in the dead of night, she and her mother run to meet her father and meet a few amazing and courageous people along the way. They meet someone who rows them across the river and an elderly couple who hides Lindy and her 
family in their basement. These people were part of a secret system of both whites and 
african americans who helped slaves escape to the north. This is another important topic 
that should be taught in school in conjunction with the topic of slavery. You could also
introduce your students to the Civil War which explains why the slaves ran to the north to 
find freedom. This is time jumping just a little bit, but you can also use this book to teach
students about the civil rights movement. During this time, African Americans still weren't
given equal rights and opportunities and there were some very important people who
fought and gave their lives for this cause.

This is a great reference tool for teachers to use while teaching this book. You can plan
great lessons from this resource.




"The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses"

"The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses" is writtenand illustrated by Paul Goble. Paul Goble is an award winning children's author who writes mostly Native American stories. This book can be used with students grades first through
third.


Rating: I would give this book 4 **** out of
four stars.


Summary: A young girl growing up in a Native American village who loved horses. She knew everything there was to know about horses
and the village began to notice. The young girl spent many years roaming with the horses and was missed by her family. One day returned
home but was unhappy without her horses,
returned to them and visited her family once a year.


"The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses" is an amazing children's book that allows teachers to
incorporate diversity into their classroom, specifically about Native American culture. This book illustrates the intense bond and relationship some humans developed with animals.
This could be introduced by talking to students about the bonds shared between humans and animals in our culture today. Such as, dogs cats or birds. This can be applied to teaching
students about the bond in Native American culture. This is also a great book to teach
students about legends. These types of stories are passed down from generation to
generation and are believed to be factual. One idea I had that I would like to incorporate
into my classroom is have a day where my students and I dress in traditional Native
American dress and we sit in a circle and share our own legends that we have written. A sort of tribute to the culture of these people and a way to show our appreciation to the legends of the native people. This book and its illustrations allow students to immerse themselves into the lives of the people in this village. Such as the way they dress, act and live. 


Here are some resources and lesson plans for teachers to use to incorporate this specific book into their diversity activities

Woodson Experience

"Locomotion"
by Jacqueline Woodson



I was pleasantly surprised with this novel. Sitting down to read I was very skeptical about reading a book containing only poetry. When I was a young student, poetry and language arts were never made interesting which could very well be the source of my skepticism.


I loved that the entire novel was written from Lonnie's perspective and followed him through many settings in his life. We got a taste of what life was like with his family before the tragedy, his life at school and his life with Miss. Edna. Since I am currently enrolled in language arts and reading methods at the University of Iowa, I have come to realize the importance of writing in the classroom. This novel enforces this idea and also further supports the fact that writing can be an escape for most students.


The two prominent themes in this book are faith and belongingness. Lonnie's younger sister, Lili, believes that if Lonnie finds God and reads the bible they will be able to be together again. Lili lives with a new family not far from Lonnie and the family she is living with values faith and religion. Lonnie is skeptical of this plan but will do anything to be reunited with Lili. He begins to read the Bible and search for God anywhere he can think to look. I believe Lonnie also fed off of the innocence in Lili's statement. In her mind, this is simple. Lonnie plus God equals reunited and Lonnie knows that the real world does not work like that but he has faith in his younger sister and hopes that one day things will return to they way they once were.


Belongingness is also a theme in this novel. Lonnie feels that he does not belong, that he does not fit in anywhere. He is continually searching for his place in life. He does not have a set group of friends at school, he feels that at any moment Miss. Edna will abandon him and he has lost Lili, the only family he has left after his parents passing. He finds a shred of belonging when he is with Lili and when Miss. Edna's son comes to visit at refers to him as his little brother.


Towards the end of the novel, things were looking up for Lonnie which made me extremely happy. When I become immersed in a book I begin to feel like I am in the story (this is how I can tell it's a great book!). After hearing how much Lonnie struggles to come to terms with his parents tragic passing and being separated from Lili, I was hoping for a happy ending. The ending was very open ended but I choose to believe the best. I would give this novel a 5 out of 5 stars.


After reading separate novels, we were placed into discussion groups in class. After discussing our novels, our group came up with commonalities we thought were present in all of our novels.

Jacqueline Woodson

-Urban Settings
-Family Tragedy
-Separated Siblings
-African American Characters
-Similar Endings

Novel

"Locomotion" by Jacqueline Woodson

Rating: I would give this book 5 ***** out of 5 stars.

This is an amazing novel that pulls on your heart strings. The entire time I was reading this book I really felt for Lonnie. It made me feel good to know that he found comfort in writing. I know he is a fictional character but his problems are ones that real children may be experiencing or experienced. I want to incorporate writing into my classroom to hopefully provide children the same safe haven Lonnie found in writing.

For the first fifty pages of this novel I thought Lonnie was a girl. This could be due to my schema with the name Lonnie. Every Lonnie I know is a girl so I was fairly surprised to find out that she was in fact a he. I could not imagine the pain that this young boy is feeling. He lost his mother, father and in a way his sister. He knows that not many families want to adopt or house a boy who is his age and he was bounced around from church family to church family until there were no more families. He lives a with a women who tells him to be quiet which is what turns him toward writing. Miss.Edna does, in a way, show Lonnie love. She continues to house and feed him and allows him to come along on her trips to see her sons. I believe that Miss Edna's son, Rodney, has a great influence on Lonnie's life. He has no adult male figure to look up to and Rodney is very accepting of him calling him his little brother.

I am surprised that the foster care system would not do its best to keep Lonnie and Lili together. They are lucky they live relatively close to each other. She is the only family he has left. I love the innocence of Lili's thought process. She believes that if he finds God they will be together. If Lonnie can finish the bible and find Him they will be allowed to see each other everyday. Little does she know life is more complicated then that.

"The Giver"

"The Giver" by Lois Lowry

I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. Unlike most people, I had never read this book before so I did not know what to expect. I sat down to read the first couple chapters and I found that the book was hard to put down. I was captivated by the live that Jonas was explaining. Those who live in a civilization such as the one we find ourself living in, could not even imagine what living in this particular culture per say would be like. A culture that sees in black and white, where all children have the same birthday celebrated by a special ceremony and after the ceremony of twelve age is simply forgotten. Each ceremony is similar to our cultures birthday parties, each child receives a "gift" or a new priviledge in society. For example, nines get their bicycles which is their equivalent of a car and as you progress through your years you get a new jacket or get to take down the braids in your hair. In our society, when children turn 16 they may receive their drivers license which will most likely lead to a car and at each birthday celebration children receive various gifts such as bikes or clothes. In their society you are not to ask questions or to be rude. Apologies are scripted and spoke with no meaning, and apologies are expected to be accepted immediately. This is something that does not occur often in our society. It is okay for you to be mad at someone and to sometimes not accept their apologies. 


One thing that surprised me was that people did not see in color. I did not understand the scene with Jonas and Asher playing with the apple. I didn't understand this concept until later in the book. I also think that Jonas's placement was more of a punishment instead of an honor. The elders make it seem like such an amazing and important job when in reality it is an extreme burden. Jonas begins to feel things that no one else in the society can feel, he knows pain and love and killing. This is a lot for a young boy to feel and he has no one to talk to besides the giver. He begins to be unable to relate to his peers and family because he sees what life could be like when it is filled with love, family and genuine happiness and freedom. This brings me to another point in this book that shocked me. I could not imagine a life without love. While Jonas's parents admit to enjoying his presence, there is no love shown between parents and parents and children. Also, the fact that there were no extended families. No aunts, uncles, cousins or grandparents to share memories with. All throughout the book I was skeptical about the release process, so it was not surprising when my thoughts were varified. 


The concept of "sameness" is something that this society highly values. The population not being able to see colors allows this concept to take flight. There are some things that even black and white can't hide. Jonas has light eyes, which is something that is never spoken of but it is a difference that can be seen with their vision. 

Lois Lowry

I was also very disappointed with the ending of this book. I am someone who likes a clear cut ending, whether it be happy or sad. I choose to believe that Jonas and Gabe live to find a society that is similar to ours. I believe that everything Jonas did was for what he believed was right and that he did find happier days. Overall, this is an amazing book and hopefully one that I will get an opportunity to use in my classroom. 

5 Picture Books

"When I Was Young in the Mountains"
by Cynthia Rylant and illustrated by Diane Goode

Rating: I would give this book 4 **** out of 5 stars.
This book is a Caldecott Honor winner.

Summary: This is a story about a young girl and boy who live in the mountains. She explains all of the things she and her family would do on a daily basis. For example, her grandmother making dinner and going to the local store to buy butter. She also shares the most vivid memories she holds close to her heart. At the conclusion of the book, she states that when she was young she never wanted to be anywhere else except the mountains.

I really enjoy this book. The illustrations accompany the words on the page exquisitely. This book would be great to use with children in first or second grade. You could use this book to teach students about what life is like in the mountains compared to the rural and city neighborhoods. This book could also be used to teach students about what life was like 50-100 years ago. Such as, how the children pumped the water from the well and warmed it for their baths or how the bathroom was in a special house outside of the home. This book also introduces new vocabulary to students such as Okra, johnny-house and hoe. The topic of religion and baptism is also discussed in this book. This book could be considered controversial due to this reason, but I believe it is important for students to see how different religions existed at different points in time. Therefore, I would still read this book to my class. You could also relate this book to the different landscapes of the United States, which could relate to your students home landscapes or what their favorite vacation spots look like. This would be a great addition to your students writers notebooks! You could also ask students to make this entry in their writers notebooks (if they choose): "When I Was Young in the...." have them fill in the blank and write a page to add to a class book.

"Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge"
 is written by Mem Fox and illustrated by Julie Vivas.

Rating: I would give this book 4 **** out of 5 stars

Summary: This story is about a little boy who lives next to and old persons home. He has a special and unique bond with each person who lives there, especially Miss Nancy. One night he over hears his parents say that Miss Nancy has lost her memory. He asks all of his old friends what a memory is, goes home and fills a box with his memories and shares that box with Miss Nancy which brings back her memory.

This would be a great book to read with students who are in third or fourth grade. You could discuss with children what they think a memory is and if they have one that is especially special and if they do to write about it in their notebooks. This could also give students the opportunity to create their own "memory box". They could bring things in from home that represent fond memories they have stored away in their minds and can share with the rest of the class. This book could also help teach students about the structure of stories and transition words such as next and then. You could also incorporate a lesson about how friends can be any age. It does not matter if you are six of ninety six.

"The Lotus Seed"
by Sherry Garland and illustrated by Tatsuro Kiuchi

Rating: I would give this book 5 ***** out of 5 stars.

Summary: The Lotus Seed is about a young girl's grandmother's story about her journey to America. Her grandmother keeps a lotus seed with her to remember he home land by. One night, her younger brother planted the seed and Ba found the flower days later. Once the seed blossomed into a pod she gave her grandchildren a seed to remember her by. The young girl put the seed in a safe place to hopefully give to her future children.

The Lotus Seed is an incredible story that would be great to use with students from first to fourth grade. This book needs a little pre-reading activity. Anything that will activate and or broaden students schema. You would need to find out what students already know about the Chinese culture. This would be a great book to use while talking about the different cultures of the world. You could use this book along with other books about various countries. You could read these books, have children research some facts on their own and have a day to celebrate all of the countries with their traditional dress and food dishes. This is also an amazing way to teach students about diversity and to incorporate diversity into your classroom. Since this topic is a little more complex then most books this is a great book to use while teaching children about asking questions. After reading the story once through, the class can make a chart with any questions that came to mind during the reading. You can also incorporate how to find answers to these questions by labeling each question with a T for text, I for inferring and OS for outside source. (Miller 2003).


"Goldilicious" by Victoria Kann

Rating: I would give this book 3 *** out of 5 stars.

Summary: This book is about a young girl and her imaginary friend named Goldilicious who is a unicorn. Pinkalicious and Peter, her younger brother, go on many adventures with Goldilicious until she flies away in a hot air balloon. Thinking Goldilicous is lost, Pinkalicious is sad but finds her waiting in her bed that night.

This book is appropriate for children who are in first or second grade. I like the complexity of the language this book contains but I do not think it would be a book I would use for a mini-lesson. It does encourage students to have imaginary friends and to use their imagination during play and school. You could recommend this book to students with siblings because Pinkalicious and her brother don't get along at the beginning of the book, but through playing and imagining all of the adventures Goldilicious would take them on they become much closer. This would be a good book to suggest to students who are having trouble finding a topic to write about in their writers notebook.


"Chrysanthemum" by Kevin Henkes

Rating: I give this book 5 ***** out of 5 stars

Summary: Chrysanthemum is a young mouse who loves her name, until she begins school. Her classmates make fun of her name and she wishes she could have a simpler name. Until one day the music teacher Mrs. Twinkle told the class she was also named after a flower and if her baby is a girl she was going to name her Chrysanthemum. Everyone wanted to be named after a flower and Chrysanthemum finally appreciates her name.

I am in love with this book. It is so beautifully written and illustrated. The summary that is written above does not do the book justice. I highly recommend this book to teachers in first to fifth grade classrooms. This is a rather long book, so if you are going to use it with younger children it is best that you read it to them a few times. The vocabulary in this book is out of this world, this book will definitely broaden children's knowledge of words. You could also use this book to learn about children's names and where they came from (again, another great entry in the writers notebook!). This book can also be used to encourage children to love everything about themselves and why it is important to not tease each other. This would be a great book to use in the beginning of the year. You can learn about your students on a personal level and also reinforce the concept of building a community in the classroom.

Controversial Picture Books

"Rose Blanche"
 is a controversial picture book written by Roberto Innocenti and Christophe Gallaz.
I give this book 5 ***** out of 5 stars.

Summary: Rose Blanche is a school age girl in Nazi Germany. She sees the soldiers in the streets with tanks. She is very descriptive of the sights and sounds she experienced. One day she witnesses a young boy jump out of the back of a truck and try to run away. Soldiers with guns stop him (pictured below) and force him back into the vehicle. She is interested in where the tank is going and decides to follow it. She follows it to a concentration camp where she becomes friends with the children inside. Over the course of the next few days, she steals food and feeds the children. One day, Rose left school early to run to the concentration camp. She saw the soldiers driving the opposite direction from the camp, confused she runs to the camp where nothing stands. In the scene, Rose places a flower on the barbed wire and there are soldiers in the background shooting. These soldiers are dressed different than the Nazi's she is used to seeing. The next scene shows a damaged town and Rose's mother is awaiting Roses return. The seasons begin to change with no return. The last image is the flower rose once held, wilting away on the barbed wire.

This book is extremely controversial. The images are very vivid. You open the book and the first thing you see is Nazi Germany with swasticas plastered everywhere. When Rose finds the concentration camp the children are very thin and only become thinner as the story progresses. Although the images and content are controversial I believe the story it tells allows children to visualize what happened during that time period. We can teach them fact after fact but this story, although fictional, gives them a perspective from someone who would have been around their age. It is also rather educational and can be used as a "mini-lesson" when talking about this time period. Parents may disagree with your choice to use this book in your curriculum and you need to be prepared to defend your choice.





"Where Did I Come From?"
is written by Peter Mayle, illustrated by Arthur Robins and designed by Paul Walter.

I would give this book 2 ** out of 5 stars.

Summary: This book explains to children how babies are made. They begin by the mother and father loving each other very much (pictures included) and explain the act of making love. What happens when making love is over and how a baby progresses throughout the nine months they are inside the mother. This book also describes the labor process and why children have belly-buttons.

This book is helpful for parents whose children are asking questions such as where do babies come from? But I do not believe this book has a place in an elementary education classroom. The content is not vulgar but the pictures that accompany are a little inappropriate for children in first or second grade to see. This book may also send some parents into an up roar. Parents may not be ready to tell their children about this process and may believe that a classroom at this age is not appropriate either. This book would be helpful for children of all ages who ask these types of questions but I am not sure if it is right for the classroom.

Fairy Tales and Dr. Seuss

Fairy Tales 


"The Princess and the Pea" after the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen is captured by Polly Borland and Lauren Child.


I would give this book a 4 **** out of 5 stars.


Summary: The Princess and the Pea is about a Prince whose parents are encouraging him to find a wife. He would like to marry someone who is mesmerizing, fascinating and has that "certain something". His parents only had one wish, for his wife to be of blue blood and equal in royalness. His parents held a ball where the prince found no one who sparked his interest. The Prince travelled to many kingdoms in search of a wife, but he found no such women who fulfilled his wishes. One night, a women with dark, dark hair decided to take a walk to see the moon. She soon became lost and stumbled upon the castle. The King and Queen opened their doors and allowed the young women to stay the night in the castle. The Queen put a small pea underneath a bed made up of many layers of bedding. Her test was to see if the young women would sleep well, and she did not. The women lied to the Queen in order to be polite, she went down to breakfast and locked eyes with the Prince. The two were soon married.

-I am very fond of this book. I have heard this story many times and this is a very interesting re-telling of the tale. The pictures are exquisite. They are packed with color and they include some 3D images. They are very captivating and interesting, as well as the cover. The cover is eye-catching, with bright colors and fantastic pictures. I would use this book for children who are in first grade all the way up until fifth grade. This book contains some difficult language that would challenge students in an appropriate way. This book also teaches some valuable moral lessons. This book teaches children about manners, being polite to others and taking care of each other when they are in need. This book also brings up the idea of marrying for love instead of status or money (which I know children of this age do not have to worry about but it is an important concept that is brought up often in our society).






"The Little Match Girl" 
was written by Hans Christian Anderson, retold by Christine San Jose and illustrated by Anastassija Archipowa. 

I would give this book 3 *** out of 5 stars. 

Summary: It is the New Year and a small girl is trying to sell matches to the townspeople for pennies to bring back to her father who is abusive and an alcoholic. She is unsuccessful in selling matches and is afraid to go him. She decides to light the matches and when she does she sees beautiful visions of Christmas trees, burning stoves and delicious dinners. She lit a match and saw her grandmother in heaven, she knew the image would fade if she did not light all of her matches, so she did. She begged her grandmother to take her to heaven with her and her wish was granted. The next day the townspeople find the young girls body in the street and the story ends with the young girl and her grandmother sailing off into the light.

-This book contains some very controversial issues and illustrations. The Little Match Girl is afraid to go home without money because her father might beat her. Her father is also depicted as an alcoholic. These are prevalent issues in our society that many children experience. This book could offer those children comfort and let them know that they are not alone in their ordeals. The little girls grandmother also dies during the story. Her grandmother was very important to her. She states that her grandmother was the only one who loved her. Many children experience loss and tragedy and they may be able to identify with character and her emotions. The little girl sees her grandmother in heaven and they talk about God, the next morning the people in the village find her body in the street. This is a very dark fairy tale, it is not your typical happy ending but it does pose some real-life problems and issues children may face. I would use this book with children who are in 3^rd grade but I would keep this book in my classroom library if I taught younger children as well. I believe some parents may have issues with this book existing in classrooms but I believe it is important for children to know these things happen to everyone and that if they experience loss or tragedy they are not alone.

Dr Seuss

"The Sneetches" is written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss. 

I would give this book 5 ***** out of 5 stars. I would use this book with children in grades kindergarten through 4th grade. 

Summary: This book is about two groups of Sneetches, who either have stars on their stomachs or don’t. The Sneetches with stars exclude the Sneetches with stars in every activity. One day Sylvester McMonkey McBean comes along with a solution to the problem. He told the Sneetches he could give them stars on their stomachs for 3 dollars each. The star-bellied Sneetches were very angry when they could not tell themselves apart from the starless-bellied Sneetches. Sylvester McMonkey McBean tells the star-bellied Sneetches he can remove their stars for 10 dollars each. This was a constant cycle, the Sneetches were never happy while Sylvester McMonkey McBean made an enormous amount of money. He drove away saying Sneetches will never learn their lesson and that day they did. They learned that it does not matter if you have stars or not they are all the same.

I absolutely love this book, Dr. Seuss is one of my favorite authors. These books contain rhythm and rhyme and teach children valuable lessons. Children will be entranced by the rhyming words and comical drawings, and little do they know that this story is teaching them things about life that are important. This book in particular teaches them that diversity is something that should be valued and embraced. It does not matter what other children look like, they are all equal and deserve to be treated so. 

 

"The Zax" is written and illustrated by Dr.Seuss

I would give this story 4 **** out of 5 stars.




"The Zax" is a short story about two Zax's who are heading in opposite directions (one traveling North and the other traveling South) and find their paths crossing in the middle of the desert. Each Zax is set on sticking to the path they sat out on and will not move out of each others way. They stand in the same position for days and eventually years, both too stubborn to move to the side in order to continue on their travels. Eventually, the desert becomes a highway and the Zax's are still standing where they started years later.

This short story is another great story to use with children. This book has a very specific message it wants to convey. In my opinion, this book is trying to tell children that you may run into problems with people that you feel like you do not want to solve, but being stubborn does not get you anywhere. It is not productive to hold grudges with others. It is more important to talk about your issues, compromise and come to a resolution. I would use this book towards the beginning of the year, I could read this book and the class and myself could come up with things to do or say when you are having a disagreement with a peer.














"Daisy-Head Mayzie" is written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss. 
I would give this book 3 *** out of 5 stars.

Summary: This book is about a young student named Daisy. She is sitting at her desk trying to complete her work when a daisy sprouts out of her head. The teacher is then in a panic and rushes her to the principles office. The principle then calls her parents and pretty soon the entire town knows about Daisy's problem. An agent enters the picture and convinces Daisy to sign with him in the hopes of one day having her name in lights. Soon after that, everyone wanted to be like Daisy. Daisy was famous! She was making a lot of money but she was very unhappy. She did not have any friends and this made her very sad. The daisy growing from her head came to the rescue, its petals began falling off saying "they love her, they love her not.." when the last petal fell the daisy said "Don't worry Mayzie, hey love you". Daisy flew home to a warm welcome. Everything went back to normal as did Daisy's head but you never know when that daisy will pop up again.


I would read this book to children who are in 1st of 2nd grade. This book, along with many other Dr. Seuss books, has intricate vocabulary and has exception lines that rhyme. Everyone in the community accepted Daisy when the flower sprouted from her head, but she was unhappy when she was famous because she thought no one loved her. This book sends the message that money is not the only thing that can make you happy. I believe children will love this book because of the illustrations and the fact that a young girl has a flower grow from her head. The lesson is something that some may catch on to and I think this is a wonderful addition to any classroom library.

Focus Question

How can we use literary elements to “bring into existence” the story of Lucky?

Lucky is an amazing novel containing many literary elements that make the story exciting and eventful. There are a variety of characters that had different backgrounds and characteristics. Which allow many different types of people to relate in their own unique ways. You have Lucky, Brigitte, Miles, HMS Beagle, and Lincoln. You always have "secondary" characters like the people in the AA meetings and Lucky's mother and father.  These characters were dynamic, they grew and changed as they coped with events that happened throughout the book. Lucky coped with her mother's death which changed her, her father leaving, Brigitte coming into her life, Brigitte possibly leaving her life and so on. These characters bring the story to life. Language is a strong literary element that is present in this book. The descriptions of the setting, events and characters create vivid mental images in the readers mind. It feels as though you are actually in the story. You can picture yourself sitting in Lucky's rusty chair listening through a hole in the wall to the stories being told. The hot sun beating down on you and the sounds the chair and people in the scene make. Most of the book is from Lucky's point of view. The setting of this story is unique as well. Not many people know what it is like to live in the middle of the desert in a town with a population of 43. The author does an amazing job explaining the setting and the events that happen in the novel that allows readers who do not have the schema of a small town to understand what it is like. Another literary element featured frequently in this book is the theme of conflict. Lucky's whole life has been about horrible things happening to her and her trying to find that higher power to solve all of her problems in life. 

Caldecott Winners

This wordless picture book, Tuesday, is written and illustrated by David Wiesner. This book's target audience is Elementary students. The great thing about wordless picture books is that they can be read by children in kindergarten and they can also be read by adults. 


Summary: This story takes place on a Tuesday night. Frogs have the power to fly around town on their lilly pads. They fly past a man in his kitchen eating his sandwhich and fly through clothes on a clothesline. The frogs then fly through the window of a sleeping women's house and begin to watch the TV she left on. At 4:38 in the morning, the frogs have a scary encounter with a dog. On one page, the frog seems frightened by the single flying frog coming towards him and the next page is the dog running scared with an army of flying frogs following close behind. Then the sun begins to rise, and the frogs begin to fall from their lilly pads. They have to hop back to the pond where they live and while sitting on their floating lilly pads the frogs appear bored. The police and the search dogs in the town are puzzled by the lilly pads scattered around the neighborhoods. At the conclusion of the book, it is a week later and frogs begin to fly, which could mean the possibility of a sequel. 

Rating: I would give this book 5 ***** out of 5 stars. 


I absolutely love wordless picture books. They can be used for any grade level and can be read by students with different reading abilities. I will definitely use these books in my classroom. They allow children to use their imagination and put their own words to the pages. These books are great tools for children who are hesitant readers and writers.

This wordless picture book entitled The Lion and The Mouse is written and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. This book also has an extremely large target audience. Children of all ages and abilities as well as adults. 


Summary: The book starts with a mouse scurrying across and open field, almost getting eaten by an owl. The mouse unknowingly resting on the lion, the lion wakes up and grabs the mouse in his claws. Instead of eating the mouse the lion decides to let the mouse go. The mouse runs back to its home where it greets it's babies. Then a group of hunters enters. They are setting up traps to catch lions. The lion stumbles into their trap and is hoisted into the air by a rope net. He lets out a gigantic RRROAAARRR! that the mouse hears. The mouse runs to the lion's aide. The mouse chewed through the rope freeing the lion. 

Rating: I would give this book 5 ***** out of 5 stars. 


This book is also great to use for children who are hesitant readers and writers. I also love this book because it teaches children that anyone can be your friend and that if you do something nice for someone they may do something nice for you in return when you truly need it. I love wordless picture books and as a future teacher I will use them as often as possible. 

This fiction picture book titled The Three Pigs is written and illustrated by David Wiesner. This book's target audience is children between 1st and 4th grade. 


Summary: This is the story of The Three Pigs,  but not the conventional fairytale we are all used to hearing. The book begins as the fairytale does, the first pig builds a house out of straw and the wolf comes threatening to blow his house down if he is not let in. The wolf huffs and he buffs and he blows the house down, and along with blowing the house down he blows the first little pig right out of the story! The wolf is confused and moves onto the next pigs house which is made out of sticks. After he threatens to huff and puff and blow their house down the first pig comes from outside of the story and tells the second pig to join him. The two pigs find the third pig and discover that they can mess up the pages of the story they were in. The pigs proceed to fold the pages into a paper airplane and fly around. After a crash landing, one of the pigs discovers a page from the fairytale Hey Diddle Diddle. They jump into that story and decide to invite the cat to come with them! After that, the pigs and the cat jump into another story and save a dragon. All of the animals return to the brick house to defeat the wolf. They all become friends and live happily ever after. 

Rating: I would give this book 5 ***** out of 5 stars. 

This is a great book for children who enjoy reading fairy tales. This would be a useful book for an opening or mini lesson, after reading this book children could take their favorite fairy tale and create an alternate ending. This is by far one of my favorite picture books that I will utilize and recommend to students. 

This fiction picture book is entitled Smokey Night.  It is written by Even Bunting and illustrated by David Diaz. This book's target audience is students between 2nd and 5th grade. 

Summary: This book is about the race riots that occurred in the past. It is the story of a young boy and his mother looking out the window of their apartment. They are witnessing these riots occur and the young boy is confused as to why these horrible things are happening. His mother explains the situation to him and they witness various shops being vandalized. After a while they decide to go to bed. In the middle of the night the mother wakes up her son. Their apartment building is on fire, they flee the apartment leaving Jasmine (the cat) behind. The boy is very concerned about his cat's whereabouts. Firefighters arrive at their apartment and once again the boy asks about his cat. A women approaches the crowd informing them about a nearby shelter. The streets are destroyed. At the church shelter, the adults are talking about the horrific events while the young boy again asks about his cat. His mother shouts and his attention turns to a firefighter carrying his cat. Mrs Kim's cat is found as well. The cats are different colors and the firefighter tells the story of how the cats banded together to survive the flames. The cats then share a bowl of milk and the adults chat about how they thought the cats did not like one another and come to the conclusion that the two simply didn't know each other before this. 

Rating: I would give this book 4 **** out of 5 stars. 

I love this book for the history. It is a good book to incorporate into a history lesson about segregation and the times of the riots. It also teaches children that it doesn't matter what the color of your skin is, people can be friends and get along with one another. Maybe even help each other in times of need. This book also has very interesting illustrations, along with what is happening in the story whatever is talked about on that page is represented in the background. For example, one page talks about Mrs. Kim's grocery shop and the background is cereal. I really enjoyed this book and find it useful for history lessons in classrooms. 

This children's fiction book titled Where The Wild Things Are is written and illustrated by Maurice Sendak. This book's target audience would be students 1st-6th grade.                                          

Summary: The story begins with a little boy who is dressed up in his wolf suit making mischief, and his mother sends him to bed without any dinner. Max's room begins to turn into a forest and an ocean came by with a private boat for him where he sailed for a long time. He stumbled upon an island where the wild things were roaring and showing their claws. Max tells them to be still and tames them with a magic trick. The wild things were very scared and called him the most wild thing of all. They made him king of the wild things and the whole night they dance around the island. Max then demanded the wild things stop and go to bed. He was very lonely and hungry. He smelled something delicious in the distance and decided to relinquish his title as king. The wild things beg him not to leave but Max hopped in his boat and sailed away. He sailed into his own room and found his supper waiting for him. 

Rating: I would give this book 3 *** out of 5 stars. 

This illustrations in this book are amazing. This book could also be used to teach children about using your imagination and while you are using your imagination anything is possible. This could also be used to teach children about the unusual and amazing friendships that can be made everyday. After the book was made into a movie, I believe children will like to read this book and it will definitely be a part of my classroom.