Stay Awake, Bear! by Gavin Bishop

Title: Stay Awake, Bear!
Author: Gavin Bishop

Copyright: 2000, Orchard Books, New York.
Grade Level: 2-5
Genre: Fiction

Summary: This is a children's book about a bear who does not want to go to sleep during the winter because he thinks that sleeping is a waste of time. As he watches his neighbors getting ready for winter and putting things away for the months ahead, the bear tried to keep busy by singing at the top of his voice and playing songs on his banjo. One day, another bear, who feels the same about winter decides to knock on his door and keep him company for the rest of the winter. They stayed awake the whole winter and when summer came, they dozed off and slept through all the fun activities they had planned for the summer. When they woke up, they realized they have slept through summer, and it was winter again. From that day on, the two bears decided never to sleep during the winter again.

Pre-reading Activity:
Talk about hibernation and about the animals that sleep during the winter. Explain to the children why this happens and what some animals have to do to prepare for the winter.

Post-reading Activity:

Ask the children what they learned from the story. Ask them what they would have done if they were the bear in the story. Also, ask the children if they think it was a good idea that the two bears stayed up all winter long. Talk about the seasons and what they might see/experience during those seasons.

Reflection:
I enjoyed reading this book very much. It was very sweet, and it was interesting. I think the bear in this story is such a trooper, because even though he yawns when the first snowflake falls, he still stays awake for the whole winter. It's a fun children's book, and it's not something you would expect from a bear. I read this children's book to the preschoolers I work with and they loved it. They kept asking questions and they seemed very engaged from beginning to the end of the book. I think this book is awesome for the younger children and adults as well. It's a great story to share inside a classroom or even at home.

About the author:

Gavin Bishop was born in Invercargillo, New Zealand. In the early 1950's his family did not have electricity, a telephone or a car, and when he joined a public library at an early age, he discovered the joy of books. He taught art at secondary level for thirty years. He enjoys reading, eating, watching movies and gardening with his wife in their the same house that they've lived in since 1969. Hi wife, Vivien and him have three daughters by the names of Cressida, Alexandra, and Charlotte.

"Books, stories and pictures have provided a life-long fascination for me. Children's picture books in particular, with their intertwined rhythms of pictures and words combining to tell a story in an often deceptively simple way, have always interested me."

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How Groundhog's Garden Grew by Lynne Cherry

Title: How Groundhog's Garden Grew

Author: Lynne Cherry

Copyright: 2003
Scholastic Inc., NY.
Grade Level: 3-5
Genre: Fiction

Theme: Agriculture, Seasons, Thanksgiving

Summary:

This book is about a groundhog who enjoys eating fresh vegetables he finds in his neighbors garden, until a Squirrel comes along and teacher the groundhog how to plant his own vegetable garden. The Squirrel tells the groundhog that he needs seeds, and they get to work fast collecting seeds and planting them into the ground. After they finish planting the seeds, they wait until the spring to see the results. The Squirrel explains to the groundhog that they need to cover the seeds with dirt, water the seeds and that there must be plenty of sunlight for their seeds to grow into vegetables. The Squirrel also has a garden of his own that he decides to show the groundhog. As days pass, the groundhog takes care of his garden and once the vegetables grow fully, the groundhog decides to invite his animal friends and he throws a feast for them to show that he is sorry for eating their vegetables when he didn't have his own garden.

Pre-reading Activity:
Talk about what people need to do to grow and maintain a garden. Talk about what it means to be a good neighbor.

Post-reading Activity:
Ask the children what they've learned, and talk about what happened in the story.

Reflection:

This simple story can be enjoyed by the young and also, the elderly. It is a fun book, with beautiful illustrations of animals and the garden. It can teach young learners many things, such as not stealing from others, achieving something by trying your hardest and not giving up and also what you might need in order to have a sucessful garden. I think I liked the pictures more than the story since I am an artist and the pictures were simply amazing. I also think that this book could be used in a science or history classroom, because it has to deal with nature. The book is great for any elementary grade because the teacher can introduce this book and teach the children how plants grow.

About the Author:

Lynne Cherry was born in Philadeplphia on January 5th, 1952 and she begun her career in children’s literature as an illustrator in 1976. She is an author and illustrator for over thirty award-winning children's books. Lynne has earned her B.A. degree at Tyler School of Art and her M.A. in history at Yale University and she enjoys writing books that teach children how to have respect for the democratic society. She believes that if children believe strongly in something, then they can change the world. Lynne is an environmental activist and cares deeply about the natural world.

 

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Trout Are Made of Trees by April Pulley Sayre

Title: Trout Are Made of Trees

Author: April Pulley Sayre

Illustrator: Kate Endle

Copyright: 2008, Charlesbridge Publishing

Grade level: K-2
Ages: 4-8
Genre: Nonfiction

Summary:
This colorful children's book is a wonderful book for young children learning about the food chain. First it introduces the leaves, which are producers, then the cranes flies and caddisflies, which are the primary consumers, and then the secondary consumers. In the end the trout, which is the predator in the story is introduced to the audience. The book also provides resources on how to keep our waterways clean and it also describes the trout life cycle.

Reflection of the book:

As a preschool teacher and a future educator, I think this book is a wonderful resource. It is a short children's book and it's very easy to read. Although, before reading it to the children I believe it's important to introduce some of the vocabulary words first, because some of the children might struggle with some of those words. This characters inside this lyrical book observe life in and around the stream and learn all about the food chain. It also shows how animals and plants are connected in the food web and it also provides information about the trout life cycle, which can be interesting to those who like learning about fish.The book also shows how the river ecosystem is used to show how the critters eat the leaves, and the trout eat the critters, demonstrating the food chain.

About the Author:
Born in Greenville, California, April Pulley Sayre became an award winning children's book author of over 55 books for children and adults. Her books have been translated into four other languages: Dutch, Japanese, Korean and French. She uses her books to immerse young readers in natural events that are happening in the world. Like her husband Jeff, who is a native plants expert, April loves science and adventure. I believe this is the reason why she wrote Trout Are Made of Trees. She is an expert in wildlife gardening, writing children's books and science education. Each year, she speaks to over 15,000 students nationwide about the writing process and about the things scientists do to study animals. She has traveled around the world and got to experience the beauty of the natural world.

"My life and my books are rooted in and inspired by the landscapes where I have lived. Blue ridge mountains, Carolina foothills, Indiana cornfields, and Virginia tidewater area are among the places that have taught me about plants and animals. See below for my full geography and why I consider myself an Indiana/South Carolina/North Carolina/Virginia/Michigan author"

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The Perfect Gift by Mary Newell DePalma

Title: The Perfect Gift
Author: Mary Newell DePalma

Copyright date: 2010

Grade Level: K - 8

Theme: Brainstorming, Gifts/Presents

Synopsis: The Perfect Gift by Mary Newell DePalma is a story about Lori the lorikeet who has a perfect gift: a bright red strawberry that she is taking to her grandmother. The only problem is that Lori drops her bright red strawberry into the river where the greedy big crocodile lurks. Lori encounters a few friends on the way: a chipmunk, a goose, and a frog, who without much success try to help Lori get the strawberry out of the river without upsetting the crocodile. In the end, these four friends huddle up in a tree and with their beaks, jaws, feathers and paws together, they figure out what Lori can give her grandmother instead. They work together and they help Lori make a new present for her grandma.

Pre-Reading Activity: Talk about the cover of the book and ask children what they think the story is about. Talk about what their perfect gift would be and why.

Post-Reading Activity: After reading this story, the children can come up with their own ideas of what Lori can get for her grandmother. As a class, they can all come up with a story that the teacher can write down or if the children are old enough they can write themselves. This way they'll brainstorm and work as a team, giving they own input into the story.

Reflection: As a preschool teacher at a day care and as a future educator, I think this is one of those “cute” books you can read just for fun or to pass time. I really enjoyed reading it to the preschoolers I work with at my day care. Before I even started reading it, the children seemed interested in the book because they kept pointing to the animals in the story; especially the crocodile peaking out from the bottom of the cover. The book was easy to read and easy to understand, so the children had no problem paying attention. During the first few pages of the book, the children seemed very interested because they were pointing to the pictures and asking questions such as “Where is the strawberry” or “Why can't they reach the strawberry”. They seemed very enthusiastic about the book, and they were very entertained during it. Usually I have to chase someone around the room to make him or her sit down and listen to a story, but during this story there were no problems other than minor talking and noise making. I think the book is very sweet, and the children get introduced to a few characters in the story. During the story, you can also talk about the reasons why some of these animals can't go into the river to get the strawberry or talk about what Lori could have made as a present for her grandmother instead of giving her the strawberry. (Of course, it's good to talk about this before the end of the story, so the children can come up with their own ideas).

About the author:
Mary Newell DePalma is a children's book author and illustrator who lives with her family in Boston, Massachussetts. She enjoy drawing pictures and enjoys writing books for her son and for her daughter, Kepley. "Mary worked a number of different jobs. She has knitted designer sweaters, interpreted for the deaf, painted signs, and worked as an apprentice engrosser and medical illustrator. 'But writing and illustrating children's books is the best," she says. We can see that she enjoys art based on the pictures in her books. They're all beautifully drawn and each one is very colorful and energetic, capturing the attention of the audience with every page.

Info about the author : )
Mary Newell DePalma Official Page !!

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