Mirela's Blog: March 2011

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Russell and the Lost Treasure by Rob Scotton

Title: Russell and the Lost Treasure

Author: Rob Scotton
Copyright: 2006, Scholastic, INC., New York.
Grade Level: 2
Genre: Fiction

Theme: Treasure Map, Little things count

Summary: This story is about Russell the sheep who gets distracted by a passing crow carrying a treasure map while performing his triple somersault. After much banging and scattering, Russell decides that he will look for the Treasure of Frogsbottom, and he sets out for an adventure. He searched everywhere. Up, down, and all around, and went into a hole at the bottom of a tree where he found a chest. Once he opened the chest, he found useless stuff in it along with an old camera. Even though he seemed very upset at first, he decided that he can have fun with the camera. He took pictures of everyone he knew and he put them into a book, that he called his Best Treasure Ever.

Pre-Reading Activity:
Draw a picture of a treasure chest. Talk about things you would want to see in there. What would you want in that chest that you would consider treasure.

Post-Reading Activity:
Add one more thing to your treasure chest picture, and explain why you chose to add this thing. Share with others.

Reflection:
I liked this book a lot because it showed that simple things can be nice too. Just because Russell the sheep didn't find the treasure he was expecting, does not mean he didn't find a treasure. The camera he found gave him an opportunity to take pictures of his loved ones and of his friends, and he was happy to put those memories in a book that he made. It's something anyone can relate to. People will always have high expectations, but it doesn't mean they won't get excited over soemthing simple and small. Simple things do count! I think this was a very sweet book, and it showed how little things can make some people very happy.

About the Author:

Robert Scotton is an author and illustrator of children's books. He lives in England, with his wife Liz, who is also an artist. He is also the author and illustrator of Splat the Cat.

More about the Author

Mrs. Watson Wants Your Teeth by Alison McGhee

Title: Mrs. Watson Wants Your Teeth

Author: Alison McGhee

Illustrator: Harry Bliss

Theme: Teeth, First day of school.

Summary: A first grader is terrified when she hears that he new teacher is a 300- year old alien who steals baby teeth. She dicedes to miss out on all the fun activities and songs they do in class, because she was warned by a second grader to keep her mouth closed so the “alien” doesn't steal her wiggly tooth. She fears the treat box. One day when her teacher asks if anyone has a loose tooth, the young girl opens her mouth and her tooth comes out. Her teacher gives her a prize out of the treat box, and the young girl realizes that the teacher is very nice, and not an alien who steals baby teeth.

Pre-Reading Activity:

In Kindergarten, explain to kids what they should expect in first grade. Tell them all the exciting things they should look forward to and ask them if they have any questions. Also talk to them about their baby teeth and what happens. This way they will not worry and will know the truth.

Post-Reading Activity:

Have children illustrate Mrs. Watson, or their first day of school. Have them explain to you what they drew and why.

Reflection:

After reading this book I remembered all the emotions I went through before going into first grade. I was excited and nervous at the same time. This little girl is so nervous and scared because she hears stories from others = something we all have experienced before I'm sure. It's a funny book because she tries to hard not to speak or open her mouth and in the end her mouth opens and her tooth falls out. Any person who is a parent can appreciate this book, and especially teachers who usually have a few shy children in their class.

About the Author:

Alison McGhee writes for all ages and in all form. She writes poetry, novels, picture books, essays ...etc. Her books are very popular with critics, and she was also a Pulitzer Prize nominee and a number one New York Times bestselling author.

“Her many awards include four Minnesota Book Awards, the GLCA National Fiction Award, Friends of the American Library Award, Gold Oppenheimer Toy Portfolio Award, ALA Best Books for Children, and Parents' Choice Award, and a City Pages Artist of the Year award.”

She is an associate professor of creative writing at Metropolitan State University. She coordinates the creative writing program there. She has also taught at many other colleges and universities, and she also teaches privately with her fellow writer-teacher, Brad Zellar.

For more info on taking one of her workshops, please visit : http://www.librariesonfire.org/

About the Author

My Teacher for President by Kay Winters

Title: My Teacher for President

Author: Kay Winters

Illustrator: Denise Brunkus

Theme: Elections, Presidents, Jobs

Summary: The book is about a boy who decides to write a letter to Channel 29 news to inform them that his teacher would be perfect for a president. He writes how his teacher is used to being followed around, and how she loves white houses and how she attends many meetings, just like she would have to if she was president. She's good when it comes to emergencies, and she deals with media every day he says, assuring them that she is perfect for the job of a president. But, in the end he writes “Just make sure she doesn't leave before the end of the year.”

Pre-Reading Activity:

Students will identify president's responsibilities and the teacher's responsibilities and compare them.

Post-Reading Activity:

Have an election in class and have students vote. This could be on anything (maybe classroom jobs), and after the students vote, the teacher can take those votes in consideration and assign classroom jobs.

Reflection:

This is such a cute book, I fell in love with it after reading it the first time. I think I like this book mostly because my dream is to be a teacher someday. I would absolutely love it if a child or one of my students someday felt this way about me. It would show that I am a good teacher and that children look up to me. What I really liked about this book is that it is true. Yes, teachers may not be presidents, but they do so much work that it 's almost like they are. Teachers do so much and they have so many jobs, and it's sweet that the student in this story sees this. This book could also be read during President's Day.

About the Author:

Kay Winters was born in Trenton, New Jersey. She learned to read when she was only four years old. She was an only child, and her parents read to her every night. They also moved eleven times, so books were her only long lasting friends at that time. She enjoyed going to the library and picking out books to read. She received her BS degree in Education at Arcadia University, her MS degree at Wheelock College and her further graduate work at Lehigh University. She taught second grade in the Newton Public Schools. She married Earl Winters, and three years later their daughter Linda Lee was born. Now, they live in Pennsylvania, and she spends most of her time writing, visiting schools and speaking at conferences.

About the Author

Love You Forever by Robert Munsch

Title: Love You Forever

Author: Robert MunschIllustrator: Sheila McGraw

Theme: Love, Family, Devotion, Heritage

Summary: This book is about a mother who rocks her baby and sings to him about how she'll love him forever and how he'll always be her baby. When the boy starts getting older, and starts causing trouble and not obeying his mothers rules, she says that she sometiems wants to put him in a zoo, and sometiems she feels like she is in a zoo. When the boy grew up into a man, he moved away and even then the mother snuck into his house and rocked him to sleep, singign the same old song. One day, she called him to visit her because she is old and sick and when he went to her house she couldn't finish the whole song because she was very ill. Her son then rocked her to sleep singing her song, and then he went into the room where his newborn was sleeping and he sang her the same song. It was passed on down by his mother.

Pre-Reading Activity:

Teach the song in the story to the children before reading the story, so that when you read the story they can sing along.

Post-Reading Activity:

Have the children draw a picture to their mother or father, showing them their love for them. Also, if children are in elementary they can write a letter to their parents saying why they love them or write a song for them.

Reflection:

This is such a touching story, that can be used with younger children. It's adorable to read about this son's devotion to his mother, and his devotion to his own child in the end. It's sweet to see how the song his mother sang was passed down from generations. This is such a heart-warming story, that shows the mother singing a song to her newborn son, simply out of love. We see throughout the story that her son becomes older, and sometimes doesn't act the way he should but she still reminds him of her love for him. I think it's such a powerful message, and that when reading this we are spreading the message of family love to the readers. It's a very sweet book with beautiful illustrations, and it can be read to almost anyone to pass a message of everlasting love.

About the Author:

Robert Munsch is the bestselling author and illustrator of Russell and the Lost Treasure and many more books. He lives in Rutland, England, with his wife Liz. His wife Liz is also an artist. He was born on June 11, 1945 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He grew up in a family of nine kids. He almost flunked every grade in elementary but somehow he survived al those years and the teachers kept passing him. He thought it was because his younger brother was a grade below him, and nobody wanted to see him in the same grade as him, so they just kept passing him to the next grade. He never learned how to spell, and he graduated from eight grade counting on his fingers, so academics were really not his thing. Although he stunk at school, he did enjoy poetry and wrote quite a lot of it. He studied to be a Catholic Priest for seven years, and then realized he was lousy priest material. He received an undergraduate degree in History and a Master's degree in Anthropology. The only reason he received this degree he believes is because he flunked his orals for his Ph. D. He worked at an orphanage, and enjoyed working with kids. He decided soon after that he'd like to work in a daycare. He realized he was good with hids and that his stories got the kids to fall asleep. He started making up stories at the daycare where he worked, and when he met his wife she told him to publish his stories. That's how he became a writer.

About the author

The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle

Title: The Grouchy Ladybug

Author: Eric Carle

Theme: Sharing , Friendship, Feelings

Summary: The book is about two ladybugs, a friendly one and a mean one. They both see aphids, which are insects that ladybugs eat, and they both want them. The friendly ladybug decides that they can share them, but the mean ladybug says No Way! In the end, the ladybugs decide that they will fight for the aphids and the grouchy ladybug says that the friendly ladybug is not big enough to fight. So the grouchy ladybug flies away and throughout the night, the grouchy ladybug meets with eleven other animals, much larger than itself, and asks them to fight. Whenever each animal decides to fight, the grouchy ladybug decides they're not big enough to fight and flies away to another animal to ask the same question. In the end, the grouchy ladybug comes across a whale, who slaps the grouchy ladybug with its tail and makes it fly across sea and land back to where it started from. The friendly ladybug is still there waiting for the grumpy ladybug and offers it food to share. They share the food.

Pre-Reading Activity:Since time is one thing introduced in this story, students can make their own ladybug clock and practice teling time on it. Teacher can talk about the meaning of P.M. and A.M. and teach the students how to tell time.

Post-Reading Activity:Share feelings in a large group. Talk abotu the things that make you grouchy and things that make you happy.

Reflection:

This book is wonderful to use with younger elementary students when learning and talking about feelings. Although I liked the book a lot, I wasn't too happy with the ending. I didn't quite understand the ending at first, because it didn't really make sense, but I think I understand it a little better now, agter reading it over and over again. Still, this book is very fun to read, and when I read it to a preschool class they enjoyed listening to it very much. This book could also be used when introducing Time to your students. Since Time is introduced throughout the book, it's important to show that to the students and also talk about the time changes in the book.

* The book also offers a small paragraph about Aphids and what they are. Also, it explains that ladybugs eat these small insects, called Aphids. The book is dedicated to the ladybugs.

About the Author:

Eric Carle is an amazing illustrator for many children's books. I never realized this but one of the books he has illustrated was The Very Hungry Caterpillar, which is an amazing children's book with beautiful illustrations. That book has been translated into 45 different languages and it sold over 30 million copies. His work is very recognizable and distinctive.

Eric Carle was born in Syracuse, New York in 1929. He moved to Germany with his parents when he was six years old. He was educated in Germany and he graduated from an art school. His dream was to return to America, so in 1952, he packed his things and went back to New York. He has two grown-up children, a son and a daughter, with his wife Barbara.

“With many of my books I attempt to bridge the gap between the home and school. To me home represents, or should represent; warmth, security, toys, holding hands, being held. School is a strange and new place for a child. Will it be a happy place? There are new people, a teacher, classmates—will they be friendly?”

More about the author

Flower Garden by Eve Bunting

Title: Flower Garden
Author: Eve Bunting
Illustrator: Kathryn Hewitt
Copyright: 1994, Voyager Books, Harcourt, Inc.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Grade: 2 - 6
Theme: Spring, Mothers Day, Birthday , Flowers

Summary: This simple, rhyming book is about a young girl buying flowers and saying how these flowers would look beautiful no matter where they are placed, whether it be on a bus or in a shoppingcart. She carries the flowers up the stairs and she places these flowers in a window box high above the street, where all the peopel walking along can look at them and smile. In the end we find out that her flowers are a surprise gift for her mothers birthday.

Pre-Reading Activity:This book could be read sometime before mothers Day, and the kids could plant their own flowers for their mothers. (This should probably be done a week or two before Mothers Day).

Post-Reading Activity:Make a card for Mothers Day or write a poem for your mother. Also, do a theme on Flowers or Spring, and talk about different types of flowers we would see in our state or in the world. Talk about favorite flowers, their smells, the way they look ...etc.

Reflection:
This is a very simple book, and it can be read to just anyone. I would suggest reading it before or during Mother's Day or during a lesson on Spring. It's beautifully illustrated and written, and it's very short. When reading this story I can't help but feel happy, because happiness is portrayed through these flowers that this little girl is carrying for her mother. Also, I think it's a wonderful book to introduce in the Spring, and then go into a lesson about different types of plants and flowers.

About the Author:
Anne Evelyn Bunting, better known as Eve Bunting was born on December 19, 1928 in Ireland, and in 1958, she moved to California with her husband and her three children. She grew up with storytelling in Ireland. She is an American author who has writen over 250 books. Writing for Publication Class at her junior college is where it all started. She was eager to write, and she has to many tales to tell. She mentioned how she writes for all children and for all ages. She also offers a lot of diversity in her books. Eve Bunting has also taught many classes, and she has won numerous awards for her books. She has also been listed as one of the Educational Paperback Association's top 100 authors, due to her popularity of her books.

More About the Author

Flip and Flop by Dawn Apperley

Title: Flip and Flop
Author: Dawn Apperley
Copyright: 2001, Scholastic Inc., New York.
Grades: Kindergarten
Genre: Fiction
Theme: Friendship, Family

Summary:
This story is about two penquins, Flip, who is five and Flop, who is two. Whatever Flip does, Flop wants to do it too. One day Flip decides he wants to play in the snow with one of his buddies, which leaves poor little Flop out in the cold. Flop wandered off and started playing Boomba, a made up game all by himself, when a little bear named Hop came along. They played this game together until they were reunited with Flip, Flop's brother, and Hip, Hop's brother. They made up a new game that they can all play together.

Pre-Reading Activity:Before reading this book, a teacher can play follow the leader with her students. Also, teacher can have students come up with their own game (maybe in the snow, during winter time). They can write down their story or orally present it to their classmates.

Post-Reading Activity:Students can share their stories about their siblings or friends and talk about what games they like to play in the winter. If they'd like they can draw pictures or write a story about it to share with the class.

Reflection:
This is avery sweet book. It reminds me of my childhood and how my little sister would always follow me around and want to do everything I was doing. At first, I remember thinking it was pretty cool but then it started becoming more and more annoying, because I didn't want her to be just like me. I remember she used to repeat everything I used to say and she used to do everything I used to do, and sometimes I think it was only to make me angry. The reason I think this is because she used to tell me "I do it just to make you angry". Ha ha ! Anyways, this story is most likely written for younger children, but I'm sure it can be used in early elementary grades as well. It's sweet to see how to siblings get along so well, and that they are there for each other. it's also nice to see that they can have friends of their own, and that they can all get along so well.

About the Author:
Dawn Apperley wanted to generate some colorful and fun books for younger children. Her books are deep in color and very fun to look at and share with others. Dawn lives in London, and there she works full time as a creator of children's books. She writes and illustrates all of her books herself.

Contact the author at -----> dawn@dawnapperley.com

Authors Website

Monday, March 21, 2011

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Title: Coraline
Author: Neil Gaiman
Illustrator: P. Craig Russell
Colorist: Lovern Kindzierski
Letterer: Todd Klein
Copyright: 2002, 2008 by Neil Gaiman
Genre: Fiction

Theme: Family

Synopsis:
This story is about a girl named Coraline Jones, who moves into a new house with her parents and she discovers a locked door in the drawing room, which is all bricked up. Her neighbors Mrs. Spink and Mrs. Forcible warn her that she is in great danger after reading her tea leaves, but they cannot tell her why exactly. One day, while alone at home, Coraline decides to unlock the door and she finds a long passageway to a room identical to the one she just left. In this room she finds her Other father and her Other mother; replicas of her real parents, but with buttons as eyes. Even though this frightens her a bit, she decides to stay and explore the area. When her Other mother and her Other father ask her to stay with them forever, she leaves. Soon she realizes that her real mother and father have been kidnapped and she decides she must help them, even if it means going back through that passageway, and to her Other mother and her Other father. Searching for her real parents, Coraline meets three ghost children, a talking cat and things she only dreamed of before. Coraline experiences and sees many strange things throughout this story, and in the end becomes a hero.

Reflection:
At first I had no idea what to expect out of this story. I started reading it and I wasn't really into it, but once I got to the middle where Coraline realized her parents were missing I started getting into the book. I wanted to know what had happened and it made me keep reading. I read the book in a few hours because I couldn't put it down. Every page I turned made me want to read more to find out what happened next. I think it's a great book. Also, since I read the graphic novel, there were so many pictures to look at and it made the story that much better. Everything that was going on in the story had a picture to go along with it, which gave me a better idea of what was going on and what things looked like. I wouldn't recommend this story for younger kids, because I think some of them would probably have nightmares.

About the Author:
Neil Gaiman is a British author, born on November 10th, in 1960. He is one of the top writers in modern comics, and he writes books for readers of all ages. He was born and raised in England, but now lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has lived there since 1992. Gaiman moved there to be close to the family of Mary McGrath, his wife at the time, with whom he has three children: Michael, Holly, and Madeleine. He learned to read at the age of four. He absolutely loved reading as a child. He wrote his first book in 1984. Neil Gaiman is the first author to win both the Newbery and the Carnegie medals for the same work.

More about the Author

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender

Title: The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
Author: Aimee bender
Copyright: 2010, Random House Inc.
New York
Genre: Fiction
Theme: Family, Secrets, Taste

Synopsis:

“On the eve of her ninth birthday, unassuming Rose Edelstein, a girl at the periphery of schoolyard games and her distracted parents’ attention, bites into her mother’s homemade lemon-chocolate cake and discovers she has a magical gift: she can taste her mother’s emotions in the cake. She discovers this gift to her horror, for her mother—her cheerful, good-with-crafts, can-do mother—tastes of despair and desperation. Suddenly, and for the rest of her life, food becomes a peril and a threat to Rose. The curse her gift has bestowed is the secret knowledge all families keep hidden—her mother’s life outside the home, her father’s detachment, her brother’s clash with the world. Yet as Rose grows up she learns to harness her gift and becomes aware that there are secrets even her taste buds cannot discern.”

Reflection:

The reason I chose to read this book was because it was awarded the Alex Award, and my presentation was on that award. To be honest, it was a great book. It's not something I would chose to read, or pick out myself, but I'm glad I did. It's a wonderful book, and it's almost as if you can taste the lemon cake without actually tasting it. I enjoyed the character development and it was fun experiencing the things the main character, Rose experienced. It was almost as if I was her, and I was finding out all these secrets about her family members. This is a book anyone can enjoy.

About the Author:

An American novelist and a short story writer, Aimee Bender was born on June 28, 1969 in Los Angeles, California. She is very well known for her surreal plots and characters. She was the youngest daughter of the three, and she idolized her older sister and often tagged along after them. She is an author of three books; The Girl in the Flammable Skirt (1998), An Invisible Sign of My Own (2000) and Willful Creatures (2005).

More about the Author

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst

Title: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Author: Judith Viorst
Illustrator: Ray Cruz

Summary: This is a book about a young boy named Alexander who wakes up one day with gum in his hair and everything seems to go wrong for him that day. He tells himself that it's going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Everything he does seems to be wrong. He goes from being his best friends best friend, to being only his third best friend. His dentist even finds a cavity in his mouth. The young boy keeps telling himself he will move to Australia.

Pre-Reading Activity:Talk about your morning routine. Make a daily calendar.

Post-Reading Activity:After reading the book, discuss what happened and talk about what Alexander could have done differently in each situation, or how he could have acted.

Reflection:
This is such a fun book. It's silly, and it's exciting to read to children because it makes them laugh. I've read this book numerous times, and I always enjoy it. We all know that there is always going to be an "Alexander" somewhere. I've worked with many children thoughout my life and I can definitely name a few Alexanders I've crossed paths with. It's a fun book, because it makes you want to keep reading and figure out what happens at the end of the book. I didn't really enjoy the pictures because they were very plain, but the overall story is great.

About the Author:
Born and brought up in New Jersey, Judith graduated from Rutgers University. She has lived in Washington D.C. Since 1960, when she married Milton Viorst, a political writer. They have three sons; Anthony, Nick and Alexander. Two of her sons are lawyers and the third does community-development lending for a bank. She writes in many different areas; science, children's picture books, adult fiction, poetry for children and adults ...etc. She also wrote three musicals which are still performed on stages around the country.

There is also a great unit plan for this book by Judith Viorst:
You can find it here -> http://www.franklincollege.edu/pwp/cmahaffey/LitUnit.pdf

About the Author

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Oh, The Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss

Title: Oh, the Places You'll Go!

Author: Dr. Seuss

Theme: Success

Summary:
This book is a graduation speech by Dr. Seuss. He talks about the ups and downs in life and how now you're on you're own and you decide where to go. You'll soon reach great heights, and see great things, and soon enough you'll take the lead. Basically the author is telling the reader that he or she will indeed succeed in life. This is the last book published by Dr. Seuss before his death.

Pre-reading Activity:
Talk about different careers and jobs. Have volunteers come in and talk about what they do. Invite parents to come in and listen or share their experiences.

Post-reading Activity:

Talk about and read some of the other books writen by Dr. Seuss. Talk about their similarities and differences. Create your own rhyming Dr. Seuss book.

Reflection:

The first tiem I read this book was during my student teaching. One of the teachers had this book and her parents gave it to her upon her graduation. I thought it was the sweetest thing and I thought the message in the book was great. It was such an inspiring book to me. I feel like this book is directed towards an older audience, instead of younger children, like most of the other books ariten by Dr. Seuss are. It's a great book to give to someone for any occasion really, and it can be such a nice gesture. After reading the book, I reminded myself of my graduation and wished someone would have given me this book for my graduation : ) -hint hint-

About the Author:

Theodore Seuss Geisel, also known as Ted by his family and friends is

. When talking to the media, Dr. Seuss was always more focused on telling a good story, instead of the true story. He published his cartoons in his schools newspaper, where he first signed his work as "Seuss". He graduated from Dartmouth, and also went to Oxford where he studied literature. One of his friends, Helen Palmer looked at his notebook one day and told him he was crazy enough to want to be a professor, and that he should draw. So he married Helen and he went to the US and became a cartoonist. He believed that all children should be treated with respect, and he believed in treating kids as adults.

Read Full Text !
Dr. Seuss Famous Quotes

“You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.”

“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.”

“Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.”

“Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.”

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”

More about the Author

Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See by Bill Martin Jr.

Title: Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?

Author: Bill Martin Jr.

Illustrator: Eric Carle

Genre: Fiction

Theme: Endangered species, animals.

Summary:
In this beautifully written and illustrated children's book, there are ten endangered animals presented in rhyming text. Different animals in this story answer the question "What do you see?", and it repeats.

Pre-reading Activity:
Talk about the animals in the zoo. Ask the children what their dreams are and what they see in their dreams. Share in a big group. Talk about the two senses used in the book - sight and sound.

Post-reading Activity: Children can choose their favorite animals and create their own book, with their own illustrations. Also, children can make masks of their favorite animal from the story.

Reflection:
The first time I read Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See by Bill Martin Jr. I fell in love. It was such a great children's book, and I absolutely loved the illustrations in it. I have read this book numerous times to toddlers and preschoolers, and they love it. The funny thing is after a while they start to memorize the book and they speak the words along with me.

About the author:
Born in 1916, William Ivan Martin, also known as Bill Martin Jr. was one of America's favorite children's authors, who wrote for over sixty years. His name Ivan was inspired by his mother, whose name was Iva. Kids in school called him Billy, and always made fun of his middle name, but his name soon changed when he started college. One day when he was called into the registrars office he was asked what his middle name was since he forgot to provide it, and being too embarassed to say Ivan, so he told them he didn't have a middle name. The registrar office told him that he must be a junior then, and not knowing what that meant he agreed and therefore a Jr. was added to his name.

Bill Martin Jr. was a Kansas native, who graduated with a teaching certificate from Emporia State University. He taught elementary school in Kansas and was an elementary school principal in Chicago. In 1961, he moved to New York City where he developed the literature-based reading programs (Sounds of Language and The Instant Reader). Also, he wrote over three hundren books for children. Another book he wrote was Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, which is also a wonderful book for children of all ages. Unfortunately, Bill Martin Jr. passed away in 2004.

About the Illustrator:

Eric Carle has illustrated more than seventy books for children. Due to his beautiful illustrations, Eric Carle has been awarded numerous awards. His latest one was Laura Ingalls Wilder Award in 2003, awarded by the Association for Library Service to Children.

Book Cover
Buy This Book !!!

About the Author
Fun Activities for Teachers ; )

Thursday, March 3, 2011

On a Wintry Morning by Dori Chaconas

Title: On a Wintery Morning

Author: Dori Chaconas
Illustrator: Stephen T. Johnson

Summary:
This beautifully illustrated children's book is about a father and a baby enjoying a winter morning. They spot rabbit tracks, make snow angels, and buy a pup one wintry morning. After all the fun activities they do together they go back into the house, where the father puts his baby in her bed, on a wintry morning. After the baby falls asleep, the father sings a tune of sharing a wintry afternoon with his baby. The pictures in this book are about the father and his daughter doing fun activities in the snow and enjoying the winter season together. It is a very special, loving book about a father and his daughter and their love of winter.

Pre-Reading Activity:Talk about winter clothes, weather and activities you can do in the winter.

Post-Reading Activity:

Create a book, and draw pictures of you and your father, mother or guardian enjoying the snow with you. Draw all the activities you'd like to do, or things you'd like to see.

Reflection:This was a very sweet story about a child and the father enjoying a day in winter. It reminds me of my childhood and of my father and me playing in the snow. It's a very touching story, and I believe children and adults would both enjoy reading it. There are beautiful illustrations in the story, and it is writen beautifully. It's nice to see a parent, especially the father loving his little daughter and enjoying the day with her in the snow. When I read the story all I can think about is my childhood and about those wintry days I spent outside with my parents. I'm sure many peopel can relate to this book.

About the Author:

Dori Chaconas doesn't really know why she started writing. She remembers she started writing stories in the 60's when she had her twin daughters. She was the oldest girl in the family of seven kids, and she often romanticized about the idea of being an author. She loved books, and she loved telling stories. On a corner of a grocery store, she posted an add saying INTERESTED IN WRITING? CONTACT ME. Her call was answered, and a supporter helped her become a part of a critique group.

More about the Author

I'm Not Moving, Mama! by Nancy White Carlstrom

Title: I'm Not Moving, Mama!

Author: Nancy White Carlstrom

Illustrator: Thor Wickstrom

Summary:
This story is about a mouse who realizes that his mother is moving to a different place and he decides he does not want to move away. He offers his mother his good toys and his things in order not to move. As he reminds his mother of all the good things that they are leaving behind, his mother reminds him that the new place will have the same things, and that those things would not be the same without the little mouse there. The little mouse tries to persuade his mother into not moving by offering her more of his personal things and by telling her all the wonderful things he will miss if they move. In the end, the mouse finally has to move and he tells his mother that he does not like moving. His mother tells him that she doesn't either, but it's better being all together in someplace new.

Pre-Reading Activity:Talk about moving, and why people move. Ask the children if they'd like to move. Why or why not? Introduce different places in the world, and talk about different cultures.

Post-Reading Activity:

Ask the children to talk about the book. Ask them if they'd want to move and if not, why not. The children can make a list of all the things they'd miss if they had to move, and also a list of new things they can look forward to.

Reflection:

I think this is a great book. It shows how attached this little mouse is to his home, and how he doesn't want to move away. It's interesting to read this book after learning a little about the author. Since she moved to different places and traveled a lot, I kind of have an idea of why she wrote this story.

About the Author:

Nancy White Carlstrom has writen more than fifty books for children. She gets her inspiration from living in Alaska for eighteen years and volunteering in Haiti and Africa. She has two sons, Joshua and Jesse. When she was younger, she wrote a lot of poetry and during her high school years she worked in a library in Washington, Pennsylvania. Her dream was to be a writer.
In college, she majored in Elementary Education. She tutored and worked with many kids in her lifetime, and she also taught first and second grade in Massachusetts. She liked books so much that she decided to open up her own little bookstore called The Secret Garden Children's Bookshop. Her work has been rejected numerous times, but she believed in herself and in her writing and she was persistant enough to keep trying. Most of her book ideas come from her family life. Her son, Josh and her husband, David are both pilots.

"Many of my books grew out of our real family experiences. I'm Not Moving expressed my sentiment when we were forced to move at an extremely difficult time. But I was reminded that at least we're all together and that's when I wrote the book." - Nancy

Cover of the book
About the Author

What Planet Are You From, Clarise Bean? by Lauren Child

Title: What Planet Are You From, Clarice Bean?

Author: Lauren Child

Summary: This is a story about a young girl named Clarise Bean, who talks about her school and how they are learning about the planet Earth. She walks about gravity and how her teacher, Mrs. Wilberton wants the class to do a project called The Environment. She talks about nature and how her grandfather loves and enjoys the nature. Clarise starts thinking of ideas for her big project, and one of her big ideas is to try to protest and save a tree in the neighborhood that is about to be cut down. Knowing that trees are important to the environment, Clarise decides to sit in the tree and protest, missing school and having her teacher very upset. After her teacher realizes why Clarise missed school, she seems to understand and tells Clarise that she has done a good job. In the end, Clarise understand she has missed school and that was not ok, but she is happy that she could save the tree and help the environment.

Pre-Reading Activity:
Ask the children what they can do to help the environment. Talk to them about the things they can do to help the world.

Post-Reading Activity:
Come up with a project for the whole class; something that has to do with helping the environment. Maybe do community service and clean up trash in one area, or plant trees on Earth Day. Also, talk to the students about recycling and why we should do it. This will show the students how important it is to help the environment and how easy it is to do it. Explain to them that one person can make a difference.

Reflection:
I think this is a wonderful story to introduce to kids. It teaches them about the importance of the environment and about the things they can do to help/save the environment. It has wonderful pictures and it is fun to read. Also, it can be used in early elementary classrooms to teach the children about the environment and just how important it is that people take care of it.

About the Author:

Lauren Child was born in 1965 in Marlborough, Wiltshire. She was known as Christened Helen, before she changed her name to Lauren. She is the middle of the three daughters, and she is best known for writing her Clarise Bean novels. She studied Art at Manchester Polytechnic and London Art School. Lauren Child also started her own company, 'Chandeliers for the People', making exotic lampshades. it wasn't a success. Now, she lives in London, where she works for a design company called the Big Fish.

"In 2008 she was announced as UNESCO's Artist for Peace and in 2010 she was awarded an MBE for services to literature."

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