Book Twenty Four: Shades of Black

Shades of Black by Sandra L. Pinkney
Publisher: Scholastic Inc. (November 1, 2000)
Photographs by Myles C. Pinkney
DRA: 20-24

This is a collection of "I am" statements that really reflect the vast differences in black culture, and does a beautiful job of reflecting the differences in the people of their culture. The photographs that go along with the text is fantastic.

I loved this book, and I think I enjoyed it so much because it really reflects their culture. Often times it seems like people don't think of black people as being unique, and I would say that often times people stereotype their whole culture. This book challenges that, and makes you look into the unique faces of the children in that culture. The author also uses a lot of metaphors to go along with the "I am" statements. She does a beautiful job of incorporating verbs and adjectives into the text. She highlights the skin, eyes, and hair, and it really reflects their culture.The photographs were a huge addition to the story, and I thought they paired them very well. I felt like I knew the children shown by the end of the story, and you got a sense of their personalities.

I would use this book in my classroom with out a doubt. There is a lot to take from this story, and some of it is writing (verbs, adjectives, and metaphors). But, it also gives students who are not in that culture a different perspective in this beautiful book. It would be a nice transition into talking about stereotypes and prejudices we have.


Thanks for reading and have a great summer!

Gorms

Book Twenty Three: Out of the Ocean

Out of the Ocean by Debra Frasier
Publisher: Sandpiper (April 1, 2002)
Lexile: 690L


This is a story about a little girl who like her mother enjoys the ocean, and her mother says the ocean will give you what you ask for. The little girl often asks for tangible things like shells and treasure, but her mother asks for things we often take for granted like the sun. This is just a fabulous book to introduce the ocean, and the author does a really nice job of playing with your senses when experiencing the ocean from this story.


This was a story I really enjoyed because it reminded me of all the things we are blessed with, and also because I really enjoy the ocean. The setting of this story is the beach, and it fits so well with the story. The characters of the story are often secondary to the descriptions and illustrations in this story. The author incorporates some personification when she writes about the waves "sailing", and there is also a great deal of m-dashes used. I know I have preached about this is my other blogs, but I think it is such a cool thing to use in writing and isn't often taught. The author also incorporates lots of descriptive adjectives and verbs to paint a picture in your head. The illustrations/photographs are outstanding, and they are my favorite part to this story because you really feel like you are at the ocean. The author uses real life photographs to go a long with paintings in a really beautiful way. I could see students who have never been to the ocean really enjoying this because the author makes you feel like you are there (i felt the wind blow off the waves and the smell of the ocean when I was reading). The story really plays with your senses. 


I would use this book to introduce the ocean because I think often times, especially in the Midwest, students have never experienced the ocean. This book is a perfect way to introduce the ocean because it really makes you feel like you are there on the beach.


Thanks for reading!


Gorms

Book Twenty Two: Olivia

Olivia by Ian Falconer
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing/Atheneum; 1st ed edition (October 1, 2000)
Lexile: 270L


This is a story about a little pig named Olivia, and the text is all about a day in the life of Olivia. Olivia loves to do many things such as dress up, sing, and build sand castles. Through out the whole day Olivia sees things such as a dancer or a painting, and she decides that she can do that. So she paints her walls and dances (not to the pleasure of her mother).

This is one of my all time favorite books because it is so funny, and you actually feel like you are living a day inside this little pigs head. The plot is so simple, but it is what makes this such a great story. I think I also love that we all go through those days where we think the world revolves around us. The author also incorporates a lot of great verbs and adjectives to add to the emotion of the story. His descriptions are really what helps me get into the story. This story is also very believable, and I would have to say almost everyone has had a day like this. This is a story that students will relate to, and really enjoy. The illustrations are what makes this story because he does such a fabulous job of using color. He really adds a lot of humor and enjoyment to the story just by looking at the pictures.

I would use this book to teach about feelings and emotions because this book does such a fabulous job of connecting illustrations to text when talking about feelings and emotions. It is also an important thing to have conversations with students about, and that usually can lead into teaching about adjectives.


Thanks for reading!

Gorms

Book Twenty One: Toot and Puddle

Toot and Puddle by Holly Hobbie
Publisher:Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Reprint edition (September 7, 2010)
Lexile:320L


This story is about two best friend pigs, but one day one of them decides to see the world and his best friend did not want to go. So he travels the world sending postcards back to his friend. They both have very different experiences, and they both enjoy their time. But, as time goes on they begin to miss their friend, so they are very happy to come together at the end.


This was a very nice story, and I really enjoyed it. The plot was very well done, and I thought the character development was also well done. I really got a sense of who these pigs were, and how even though they are best-friends they still enjoy very different things. This story is full of personification, and the author really displays this when the pigs are talking or writing postcards. There is also quite a bit of alliteration such as, "presenting Puddle at Pocket Pond." I also found it very interesting that the author choose to use postcards as text, and I think this would be a great introduction to writing postcards. The illustrations were great, and they really added personality to the characters. They fit the story very well, and they reminded me a lot of the illustrations from Olivia by Ian Falconer.


I would use this book to teach postcards because I think it is such a unique book because it uses them as text. I think this would be a great introduction to that topic. 




Thanks for reading!


Gorms

Book Twenty: Mouse's First Halloween

Mouse's First Halloween by Lauren Thompson
Publisher:Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing (September 1, 2000)
Illustrations by Buket Erdogan
Ages: 4-8

This is a story about a mouse who is very scared when he goes out on Halloween, but discovers that things aren't always scary.He hears sounds and then he realizes that whatever is making that sound isn't always. He ends up getting a piece of candy and he is not afraid.

This was an interesting story, and I didn't enjoy it as much as the others. I think the reason why I didn't like it as much was because there wasn't really any plot, or setting for that matter. Also there was very little character development, so I think I would shy away from using this book with older students for sure. With that being said there are also some good things you can teach from this such as the author uses a lot of onomatopoeia when the sounds are being made like "plop!". This would be a good book to use to teach that. Also the author uses m-dashes very frequently, and I think m-dashes are hard to teach and are often not taught so this would be a nice resources. Their is also a lot of verbs that end in -ing, and they are in motion like the word they are describing. For example, tumbling would be written in a tumbling motion, and that is good for students to picture the word. The illustrations were pretty well done, and I think they would be very helpful for younger students to picture what the words mean.

I would use this book to teach onomatopoeia for sure, and I think I might even use it for younger students if they are working on the -ing ending because the illustrations and how the word is written would really help students understand the meaning of the word.

Thanks for reading!

Gorms

Book Nineteen: Strega Nona

Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing (August 31, 2010)
Lexile: 800L


This story is about a witch who can cure anything you need, and she even has a magic pasta pot. One day Big Anthony over hears her chanting a spell to the pot, and all of a sudden she has pasta. One day when Strega Nona is out Big Anthony decides to try the spell on the pot, and it works! Only one problem he did not know how to stop the pasta, so it kept coming and coming and coming. Until it filled the whole town, and as punishment Strega Nona made Big Anthony eat all the pasta. 


This is a very well written, and it is very entertaining. It is a pretty difficult read for younger students, and is written for mid to upper elementary. The plot is very unbelievable, but in a story like this it is often not realistic. This story was a fairy tale, and is used to teach a lesson, so the theme was very worthwhile. There is a lot of repetition within the spells, and the author also utilizes the m-dash very often in this text. The author does use foreshadowing when he shows Big Anthony listening to the spell, but not staying long enough to see how she stops the pot. I didn't necessarily feel like I was connected to the characters, and that is something I enjoy out of books. The illustrations are very well done, and add a humerus part to the story. I really enjoyed the part where Big Anthony was trying to stop the pasta, and he sits on it and tips it over but nothing works. 


I think the only time I would use this book is either to work on the -ing ending because it comes up very frequently, or when talking about fairy tales. 


Thanks for reading!


Gorms

Book Eighteen: Click Clack Moo

Click Clack Moo by Doreen Cronin
Publisher: Little Simon (October 4, 2011)
Illustrations by Betsy Lewin
Lexile: 160L


This is a story about a group of cows who decide to strike against giving milk to the farmer until he meets a list of their demands. The cows type a series of letters demanding that they get their needs met or they will go on strike. The farmer at first denies the request and says that he will not give in to their demands, but as time goes on he decides to compromise with the cows. 


This is a story that I really enjoyed because it made me laugh, and it has so many underlining themes that are important to talk to kids about. The characters are great in this book because I can really imagine what it is like to be a cow, and how they are serious about getting their demands. The language of the book flowed very well, and there was a large amount of repetition which is great for younger aged students. This story is also full of alliteration and personification. It's comical to see a cow hunched over a type writer a lot like a human would do. The author also uses foreshadowing to help students get an idea of what is to come in the story. Overall I thought it was a great book for younger students, and it is full of things you could teach and would be a very beneficial resource. This is also a good book to introduce the idea of unions and the idea of strike.


The illustrations are very well done in this story, and they really add to the comical part of the story. I couldn't help but laugh when I saw the cows all crowded around this little typewriter. They are well done and well reflective of what the text says. 


I would use this in my classroom to either talk about unions and/or strikes (for older students), or I would use it to work on alliteration, personification, and onomatopoeia. 




Thanks for reading!


Gorms