Tyrannosaurus Math

Title: Tyrannosaurus Math
Author: Michelle Markel
Illustrator: Doug Cushman
Type: Picture
Grade Level: K-3
Rating: 3 out of 5

Tyrannosaurus Math, a tyrannosaurus rex, finds math in everyday things all around him.  He counts ornithomimus footprints, draws pictures of ankylosaurs to figure out how many legs he has eaten, and uses pie charts to evenly distribute hadrosaurs amongst his siblings.

The literary elements of time and place contribute to the story (Peterson & Eeds).  If the story had taken place in modern times it would have been completely different.  T-Math could have been stomping around a city and counting skyscrapers but since the story is during prehistoric times it gives it a historical and more realistic perspective.

This book takes something (dinosaurs) that a lot of students are interested in to help them understand and appreciate math better.  In my classroom this book would for obvious reasons be used to work on math with my students.  The back of the book lists the math skills and describes how T-Math used them. We could use the book to introduce skills or reinforce them with the examples.  Since T-Math is finding and using math in his everyday life I could challenge my students to do the same.

The Three Pigs

Title: The Three Pigs
Author and Illustrator: David Wiesner
Type: Picture
Grade Level: K-3
Rating: 4 out of 5

A twist to the classic tale of The Three Little Pigs.  The pigs escape from the pages of their story and adventure into other fairy tales.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story!  Like most people I grew up knowing the tale of The Three Little Pigs.  So when I started reading this book I thought it would be the same old thing but with Caldecott Award winning illustrations.  I was shocked when the pigs exited the frames of their pictures in order to escape the wolf.  The use of the illustrations creates a very unique structure to the tale.  It was because of them that the story had a different spin to it.

I had the pleasure of reading this with my child study student and she was blown away just like I had been.  On the page that one of the pigs first escapes she stopped to stare at the picture.  She knew something was different than what she was used to and hungrily read on.  The layout of the story was something she had never seen before and she loved it.  She was constantly pointing out things and excitedly talking about all that was happening in the unconventional pictures and use of text.  Having experienced this with one child I know that others will have a similar reaction to the story.  I could use this book in a comparison unit with reading other fairy tales or just other versions of The Three Little Pigs.  We could also talk about how the illustrations are used in this story and the idea of thinking outside the box when we work.

Flotsam

Title: Flotsam
Author and Illustrator: David Wiesner
Type: Picture
Grade Level: K-2
Rating: 4 out of 5

A wordless picture book where a boy finds an old underwater camera while at the beach.  He gets the film developed and the pictures show him the existence of an underwater world and secrets unknown to man.

I really enjoyed this book because of its unique story plot idea but especially because of the beautiful and creative illustrations. There is so much detail and thought put into each picture which is so important seeing as it is a wordless picture book.  Everything is open to interpretation but the pictures act as guides throughout the story.

I had placed this book on my kitchen table when I got home from the library and all of my roommates at some point opened it up and were intrigued by it.  I think that since all the interactions I've witnessed surrounding this book (including my own) have been so positive and interested that this book would be a great pick for using in the classroom.  Children love picture books and this one is different in that the illustrations seem so realistic ad relatable to any reader who is familiar with the beach setting.  Then comes the science fiction!  Students would surely love to create a narrative to go with this story.

Jumanji

Title: Jumanji
Author and Illustrator: Chris Van Allsburg
Type: Picture
Grade Level: 2-4
Rating: 4 out of 5

Peter and Judy are bored with all their games so they decide to give Jumanji, an ordinary enough looking game they find, a chance.  Yet this book is far from ordinary!  Soon the children are rushing through the game to rid their house of lions, monkeys and other jungle animals before their parents get home!

As I read this book I was filled with all sorts of emotions.  I was worried for the children's safety, stressed by the continued appearance of dangerous creatures, anxious for them to finish the game and relieved when their parents came home to find them safe and sound.  As a reader I felt the fear and stress the children felt because of their predicament.  I couldn't put the book down because I was so caught up in the story and invested in the characters.  It is the plot of the story and how each events follows another that causes me to feel as I do when I read (Peterson and Eeds).  The tension in the story (Will they be alright!?) is what creates the suspense, nervousness and urgency inside me as I continue through the book.

For older students you could use this book to talk about the difference between books and the movies that are based on them.  For example, the difference in character relationships, characters included (the movie has Robin Williams as a person who was trapped inside the game), the use of time,  length (short book but long movie), etc.  You could even use the book as a reinforcer to follow rules in the classroom.  Luckily Peter and Judy follow directions but what about the two little boys that never follow rules that play the game after them?  You could have a little fun here with that idea.  Or else you can always just read the story in the classom because it is an enjoyable and intriguing read with beautiful Caldecott Award winning illustrations.

The Napping House

Title: The Napping House
Author: Audrey Wood
Illustrator: Don Wood
Type: Picture
Grade Level: K-2
Rating: 4 out of 5

"There is a house, a napping house, where everyone is sleeping."  It is a rainy day and everyone is taking a nap... crammed in the same bed!  What happens when a granny, a boy, a dog, a cat, a mouse and a flea all take a nap together?

I remember when I was little and my mom used to read me this story.  Her voice was so soothing to listen to as it followed the cadence of the repeated patterns of the book (Peterson & Eeds).  The flow and how the reader's voice sounds aloud is important for a story called The Napping House.  Since everyone is sleeping it is a great use of language to have the readers lulled into a comfortable and drowsy state just by the word choice.  I remember my mom and I would laugh together at the idea of the story which is wonderfully reinforced with the pictures.

The familiar people and animals combined with the repeated and predictable patterns sets an early reader at ease when reading this story.  It is also a fun story to read aloud (as I know from my own personal experiences) because of the cadence and patterns.  The order of events and even the idea of the story would be worthy for classroom discussion.

I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This

Title: I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This
Author: Jacqueline Woodson
Type: Novel
Grade Level: 4-6
Rating: 4 out of 5

Marie, an affluent black girl, and Lena, a down on her luck white girl, strike up the unlikeliest of friendships.  Despite their differences and society's disapproval the two bond over their shared experiences and the secrets they cannot tell anyone else.

This book had me hooked almost immediately.  The characters were wonderfully written by Woodson.  They were not flat and one dimensional characters but realistic and complex humans.  Having not dealt with most of the issues these girls face (parental abandonment, death and abuse, and racial conflict) I was taken along with them as they coped and learned from their experiences (Peterson & Eeds).  Marie and Lena were so strong and brave in the face of what they were confronted by and it was awe inspiring to me as a reader.  I had such an emotional attachment to them and felt their pain, fears, and joy.  Part of what makes this book so powerful is the controversy within.  I'm sure some parents would have issues with some of the content (sexual abuse, abandonment, death and racial discrimination).  I understand their concern and wish to protect their children but I believe that all students should be exposed to real life issues and not unduly sheltered.

I can definitely see the value in reading this book in the classroom.  It would give my students an opportunity to tackle some serious social issues.  The characters go through things that hopefully most of my students do not have personal experience with but it would be a growing experience for them and help them open their eyes to the realities of the world around them.  It wouldn't be an easy book to teach but I think it would be very rewarding.

The Giver

Title: The Giver
Author: Lois Lowry
Type: Novel
Grade Level: 5+
Rating: 4 out of 5

Jonas lives in world with no color, pain, choice or love.  Everything is in its place for logical and correct reason.  At age 12 Jonas is assigned the position in the community as the mysterious and unknown Giver.  Soon he is gaining insight on emotions, the past and a life of freedom.  Now that he knows these things he wants it for everyone but is it his place to make a decision?

This book has so much going on within it.  You are always kept on your toes and wanting more.  The use of literary elements are key for this and because of them the story is brought to life and gives meaning to the reader (Peterson & Eeds).  Jonas is the main character of the story and through him you are introduced to this Utopian world and then also to the discovery that it is actually a Dystopia.  As a reader you follow along with him and learn and grow as he does.  You are sucked into his world and feel his pains, joys, fears and triumphs.

There is some controversy surrounding the idea of the release in the story.  Infants, the elderly and the troublesome are "released" or in reality, put to death.  In one particular case a girl asks to be released which is in essence her suicide.  It is an uncomfortable and touchy issue but parents need to understand there is a purpose to it in the story.

I read this book in 6th grade.  I don't remember much about the experience except that I enjoyed it and it had been thought provoking.  Despite the controversy around it and it being banned I would love to use this book in my classroom.  It definitely forces the reader to think.  Students could be answering question about free will, whether total control or maybe just partial control is a good idea, importance of history and the idea of the release.  Like I said before there is so much happening in this story that students could endlessly discuss and dissect the text, especially the ending.  What do you think happens?  I won't say what I think here in case you haven't read it but I recommend you do read The Giver.  The last page is such a tease which you can also talk about open ended finishes to stories with your students.

The Un-Wedding

Title: The Un-Wedding
Author and Illustrator: Babette Cole
Type: Picture
Grade Level: 2-5
Rating: 3 out of 5

Demetrius and Paula's parents do not get along.  The children fear it is their fault hut find out other children have the same exact problem.  Demetrius and Paula suggest an un-wedding and learn that everyone benefits from their parents' separation.

The book never actually says the word "divorce" but the reader infers that "unwedding" and divorce are the same thing.  Personally I did not experience divorce as a child but many of my friends did and like Demetrius and Paula they were confused and concerned it was their fault.  I think that the use of comedy makes the topic more light-hearted and easier to handle for the reader.  I could see parents potentially objecting to this book because of the unusual and uncomfortable topic but it is something children grapple with.

Divorce is an unusual classroom topic and especially unusual in children's literature but it is a relevant topic for many children.  With statistics as they are now then it is certain that several of my students will have parents that are divorced.  A book like this shows that parents disagreeing is common and that good can come out of a divorce.  I don't know how I would use this in my teaching but it would be a good reference to have available to my students.

White Wash

Title: Whitewash
Author: Ntozake Shange
Illustrator: Michael Sporn
Type: Picture
Grade Level: 2-5
Rating: 4 out of 5

A young African American girl and her brother are walking home from school when they are ambushed by a gang of older white boys.  The brother is beat up while Helene-Angel is held down and her face is painted white.

Parents might say this is an inappropriate and irrelevant book.  Yet children can usually handle more than they are given credit for.  And like Tunnel and Jacobs say, "Avoiding the harsh and often unsavory realities of life does not make them go away."  Although their black classmates may not be getting whitewashed they still go through the shame and self-doubt brought on by other forms of daily racism.  So no matter what parents may think, a book like this that shows the reality of racism and its effects.  Plus, Ntozake Shange is a reliable source considering she had to handle racism since childhood.

Helene-Angel and her brother, Mauricio, are verbally abused by racial and ethnic slurs and are physically abused by the white thugs on the street.  Afterwords, Helene-Angel is fearful, embarrassed and begins to see herself as ugly.  Mauricio is embarrassed and emasculated.  Yet with the love, strength and support of their family and friends of all races the two siblings are able to overcome this incident.  This story evokes a lot of emotion out of me as a reader and I know it would effect my students the same.  This book tackles racism and its effects on not just the people being targeted but everyone else around them.  It is important that children are exposed to topics like racism so they can become aware of it and act as agents against it.  I would read this book to my students and find out their reactions to it.  This book opens up discussion on racism, the effects, equality, fair treatment and ways to battle racism.

Prince Cinders

Title: Prince Cinders
Author and Illustrator: Babette Cole
Type: Picture
Grade Level: K-1
Rating: 4 out of 5

With a twist to the classic Cinderella, Prince Cinders is forced to to clean up after his three big hairy brothers.  A fairy tries to help but all her spells seem to go wrong.  Yet Princess Lovelypenny still seems to fall for Prince Cinders and sets out to find the prince who fits in the trousers left behind.

I found this story hilarious.  The text was funny and clever and the pictures were a perfect match.  If you can get a reader to laugh out loud (like I was!) then you know they are engaged in the book.  Prince Cinders is such a lovable and goofy character that the reader can't help but getting attached to him and cheering him on.  We get to know him and travel along with him as he (literally) grows and changes throughout the story (Peterson and Eeds).  Prince Cinders is a strong character that the reader identifies with.

Children know and love fairy tales.  Most children grow up knowing stories like Cinderella which is what Prince Cinders is based off of with a comedic twist.  As a teacher you could read both of these books and compare and contrast them.  You could discuss the differences and the effects from these differences between the classic and the contemporary version.  So not only will the children enjoy reading a familiar classic like Cinderella but they would also get to read a hilarious spoof of it all while learning to compare and contrast.

Rapunzel

Title: Rapunzel
Retold and Illustrated: Paul O. Zelinsky
Type: Picture
Grade Level: 3-5
Rating: 3 out of 5

To ease his pregnant wife's food cravings a husband repeatedly sneaks into his neighbors yard to pick her vegetables.  He eventually is caught by the sorceress who he had been stealing from and is forced into paying his debts back with his still to be born child.  Upon birth the sorceress takes the daughter and places her in a tower to be kept from everyone.  The only way to enter the tower if by climbing up the long ladder of Rapunzel's hair.

A concern of mine for this book is that it lacks any diversity.  The husband and wife are privileged, white, rich and young.  The sorceress is old and ugly.  Rapunzel is a rare beauty with pale skin, reddish gold hair and a beautiful voice.  The prince is young, handsome and brave.  Like most fairy tales Rapunzel does not challenge societal norms or attempt at diversification.  Just because of that does not mean the book is bad but I would like to try for as much diversity in my classroom readings as possible.

This book won  the Caldecott  Award in 1998 for its stunning and highly realistic oil paintings.  I would say the art in this book is its high point.  Since fairy tales are so popular with children you could read this book and discuss the art.  Create an art appreciation unit based off this story.  This book could even be used as an example of a different painting style.  Have this be the example and let children do their own paintings to this story, their own or others.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Author and Illustrator: Eric Carle
Type: Picture
Grade Level: Pre-1
Rating:

Out pops a little caterpillar from his egg.  He is very hungry!  The little caterpillar eats through all sorts of food before building himself a cocoon.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a classic that brings back fond memories of kindergarten for me.  I remember gathering on the circular carpet in from of my teacher as she read us the book.  The artwork was bright and inviting and the holes in the pages made the book interactive.  The text was concise and well-written with subtle humor in it that made me smile at the silly caterpillar.  A pattern is established with the caterpillar increasing its eating as the week continues which makes the story easier to comprehend for the young readers (Tunnel and Jacobs).

The opportunities are endless with teaching this book in class.  You can do a unit on caterpillars to butterflies with discussing their life cycle, correct diet (unlike the one in the book), and then raise butterflies on your own.  You can start of the year with this book and ask the children what food would they like to eat through as a way to get to know them.  Here is a link with lots of great ideas and activities to use with this book: The Very Hungry Caterpillar Activities

The Lion and the Mouse

Title: The Lion and the Mouse
Author and Illustrator: Jerry Pinkney
Type: Picture
Grade Level: K-3
Rating: 4 out of 5

A wordless picture book that shows the interactions between a lion and a mouse.

I'm not very used to wordless picture books but this one made me fall in love with them.  I love the concept that comes with them.  The reader is forced into the role of author and their creativity is encouraged to run wild with the images.  The illustrations were amazing and definitely worthy of the Caldecott Award they earned.  Jerry Pinkney was able to show the story so wonderfully because of his extraordinary artwork.  If the images were lesser than the story would not have been as effective.

A book like this is great because everybody "reads" it differently.  In your classroom every child will have a different outlook on things.  After reading the book you could ask your students to tell their story to show that each person gains something different from the images.  This book would be great to read aloud and let your students write stories to go along with it.  You also could use this book for a unit on inferring and predicting based on pictures.

The Great Kapok Tree

Title: The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest
Author and Illustrator: Lynne Cherry
Type: Picture
Grade Level: 3-5
Rating: 4 out of 5

A young man is sent into the rain forest to chop down a giant Kapok tree.  While taking a break he falls asleep at the foot of the tree.  As he rests the creatures of the forest that depend on this tree whisper to him their stories.

The Great Kapok Tree is a wonderful book.  The illustrations are colorful and bright and the text draws the reader in.  Both the images and the text set the mood for the story (Peterson and Eeds).  Through text the animals logically lay down the facts and the pictures bring that to life.  Who would want such beautiful and vibrant birds to be forced to live in "black and smoldering ruins?"  The book plays with the readers emotions to stimulate their personal connection.

This book is so great for the classroom!  There are so many things that students (and teachers!) can learn about from it!  You can use it for units on environmental protection, rain forests, their animal life, cause and effect, and so on.  The book includes maps of rain forests around the world before and after deforestation which can be used as a teaching tool.  There are diagrams of the layers of the rain forests and the animals that live within them.  The animals tell the sleeping man the truths of the rain forest that the man (and probably the reader) do not know or understand.  The animals codependency on the Kapok and the cause and effect nature of the man's action is clearly shown to the readers.  The man's decision to not cut down the tree shows that one person can make a difference.  What is something your students could do to make a difference in their environment?

Save the rain forest!

The Higher Power of Lucky

Title: The Higher Power of Lucky
Author: Susan Patron
Illustrator: Matt Phelan
Type: Novel
Grade Level: 4-6
Rating: 5 out of 5

Lucky lives in the desert of Hard Pan, California with her French legal guardian, Brigitte, and her faithful dog.  Worried that Brigitte will leave her, Lucky goes out to find her Higher Power and along the way learns about herself and the meaning of family.

The Higher Power of Lucky is a wonderfully enjoyable story and when you break it down by its literary elements you are given an insight on why it is such a great novel (worthy of the Newbery Award!).  Also by looking at literary elements you see and learn so much more than you had originally.  As a reader I became attached to Lucky almost instantly.  She was quirky and very lovable.  It wasn't until I took a deeper look that I realized why I loved her as a character so much.  She is such a dynamic character and you experience her growth throughout the story as you travel along with her (Peterson and Eeds).  You are let into her thought processes and understand the way her brain works.  Most people I know do not think of a desert as a good place to live but Lucky loves it and the readers grows to appreciate it.  The setting basically becomes another character in the book.  It is constantly changing with the weather which brings everything and everyone together.  If the story was anywhere but a desert then it would not work.  The desert brings the story to life and adds to the reader's construction of meaning (Peterson and Eeds).  It was the literary elements like the characters and the place that added to my understanding and appreciation of this great novel.

I think this book would work really well in the classroom.  Students and teachers alike will love it and there is so much to talk about it.  Like I said before the literary elements are very strong in this book and so it would be a great example to teach about literary elements to students.  You could also talk about the controversy surrounding this book and what children think about it.  (In particular, the use of the word "scrotum" on the first page)  You could discuss what a family is which many students can relate to since they do not come from "normal" nuclear families themselves. You could even talk about the differences of living in a desert as opposed to somewhere else (pair it up with another novel so you can compare).