I am from barefeet, from a dead end road and summers that seemed to last forever.
I am from the sunshine.
I am from the oak trees, the rough grass and the wildflower necklaces.
I am from beach reunions and pig pickins, from Brittian and Edith and Marilyn.
I am from the big laughers and people who can’t say “no.”
From, “you can have anything you want princess” and ”don’t eat that it’ll make your babies be born neked!”
I am from the love light of Jesus, and the amazing joy and grace that only He can bring.
I'm from Jamestown by way of Greensboro, country fried steak and hot dog-and-cheese sandwiches.
From the snow days sledding down the big hill, the walk to school and the green shag carpet in my home.
I am from disposable cameras and bargain box shopping. From being involved in every aspect of a church I loved and still love. From too many Barbie dolls and a backyard tree house. From swinging in the hammock and riding bikes until we couldn’t see the road.
I am from a family who loves me with all they have and whom I love more than I know how.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs
The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs is "by A. Wolf as told to Jon Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith. It was published by Puffin Books in 1996. It is in the fantasy genre and is appopriate for grades 2-5.
Right from the start this book gives a very different flare. The book is "by A. Wolf" and is told from the point of view of the wolf in the classic story of The Three Little Pigs. The story is the wolf telling his side of the story and explaining how it was all a big mistake. The wolf explains that he had a terrible sneezing cold and needed to borrow a cup of sugar from his neighbor. He goes to the first pigs house, which was made of straw and knocks on the door. When no one answers he calls to the pig, but then he feels a sneeze coming on. He accidentally sneezes the pig's house down on him, killing the poor pig. The wolf explains what a shame it would be to leave a perfectly good dead pig lying there so he eats him! Then he moves on to the next pigs house, where a similar story occurs. He finally gets to the third and smartest pigs house which is made of brick. The wolf knocks at the door and recieves a rude answer from the pig inside. He asks for a cup of sugar to make a cake for his grandmother and when the pig gives a rude remark in regards to the wolf's poor grandmother, the wolf goes a little crazy. The police show up just as the wolf is screaming and yelling at the pig and also having a terrible sneezing fit. So in the wolf's story he is wrongly accused in the case of the three little pigs.
This story is written and illustrated by the same team who created The Stinky Cheese Man. It has the same story as that book, which is loved by children all over. The illustrations are all drawings and are very well done. You can tell that a lot of care was taken to create pieces of art for every page. I love that this book is like an exspose of a fairy tale that everyone knows. The familiarity will grab kid's attention, but the twist will hold their attention and keep them entertained. You could incorporate this book into a story writing lesson with middle to upper elementary kids. Students would think it was cool to try and think up an alternate plot to a story that everyone knows. This encourages imagination and writing skills.
Right from the start this book gives a very different flare. The book is "by A. Wolf" and is told from the point of view of the wolf in the classic story of The Three Little Pigs. The story is the wolf telling his side of the story and explaining how it was all a big mistake. The wolf explains that he had a terrible sneezing cold and needed to borrow a cup of sugar from his neighbor. He goes to the first pigs house, which was made of straw and knocks on the door. When no one answers he calls to the pig, but then he feels a sneeze coming on. He accidentally sneezes the pig's house down on him, killing the poor pig. The wolf explains what a shame it would be to leave a perfectly good dead pig lying there so he eats him! Then he moves on to the next pigs house, where a similar story occurs. He finally gets to the third and smartest pigs house which is made of brick. The wolf knocks at the door and recieves a rude answer from the pig inside. He asks for a cup of sugar to make a cake for his grandmother and when the pig gives a rude remark in regards to the wolf's poor grandmother, the wolf goes a little crazy. The police show up just as the wolf is screaming and yelling at the pig and also having a terrible sneezing fit. So in the wolf's story he is wrongly accused in the case of the three little pigs.
This story is written and illustrated by the same team who created The Stinky Cheese Man. It has the same story as that book, which is loved by children all over. The illustrations are all drawings and are very well done. You can tell that a lot of care was taken to create pieces of art for every page. I love that this book is like an exspose of a fairy tale that everyone knows. The familiarity will grab kid's attention, but the twist will hold their attention and keep them entertained. You could incorporate this book into a story writing lesson with middle to upper elementary kids. Students would think it was cool to try and think up an alternate plot to a story that everyone knows. This encourages imagination and writing skills.
Goldilocks and The Three Bears
Goldilocks and the Three Bears is retold and illustrated by James Marshall. It was published this time around by Puffin Books in 1998. It is in the fantasy genre and is appropriate for grades k-2.
This is the classic fairy tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. This time Goldilocks is given a little more mischievious background aside from her already curious reputation. Just like in the original story, she wanders into the woods and sees the house that the bears live in. The bears are out for a walk to let their porridge cool so Goldilocks has a look around. She tries the porridge and gobbles up Baby Bear's bowl of porridge. She sits in the chairs and rocks so hard in Baby Bear's chair that she breaks it. She then falls fast asleep in Baby Bear's just right bed and does not hear the bears return home. She awakes to the scary realization that she is in the house of three angry bears and runs home, never to return to the bear's house again.
I think every child and adult has an appreciation for this story. Marshall gives it a new flare with his illustrations. His characters have more personality than some other fairy tales. The thing I noticed about this book was the vocabulary. There were a few words that I would not expect younger kids to recognize. This, however, opend up learning opportunities. A Text Talk lesson would be great for this story. The teacher could stop every few pages to ask the class what they think is going on and what they think will happen next. Some will know the story and others might not. At the end there is room for a vocabulary lesson. Many of the words, like scalding, are easily compared to words that kids already know, like hot. While this story is sometimes overdone, the simplicity is nice here. It gives new readers a chance to read a book with a little more text, of which they already know the basic storyline.
This is the classic fairy tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. This time Goldilocks is given a little more mischievious background aside from her already curious reputation. Just like in the original story, she wanders into the woods and sees the house that the bears live in. The bears are out for a walk to let their porridge cool so Goldilocks has a look around. She tries the porridge and gobbles up Baby Bear's bowl of porridge. She sits in the chairs and rocks so hard in Baby Bear's chair that she breaks it. She then falls fast asleep in Baby Bear's just right bed and does not hear the bears return home. She awakes to the scary realization that she is in the house of three angry bears and runs home, never to return to the bear's house again.
I think every child and adult has an appreciation for this story. Marshall gives it a new flare with his illustrations. His characters have more personality than some other fairy tales. The thing I noticed about this book was the vocabulary. There were a few words that I would not expect younger kids to recognize. This, however, opend up learning opportunities. A Text Talk lesson would be great for this story. The teacher could stop every few pages to ask the class what they think is going on and what they think will happen next. Some will know the story and others might not. At the end there is room for a vocabulary lesson. Many of the words, like scalding, are easily compared to words that kids already know, like hot. While this story is sometimes overdone, the simplicity is nice here. It gives new readers a chance to read a book with a little more text, of which they already know the basic storyline.
The Princess and the Pea
The Princess and the Pea was written by Lauren Child and illustrated by Lauren Child and Polly Borland. It was published by Puffin Books in 2006. It is a fantasy book and is appropriate for all elementary levels.
This is a story with a familiar title. Underneath the title it says “After the fairy tale by Hans Christian Anderson.” The story line is much the same as Anderson’s old fairytale, but Child’s own use of language comes into play. The story is of a prince whose parents are ready for him to be married. The prince, however, is looking for the right girl who he can fall in love with, which does not prove to be an easy task. The prince meets all the princesses in the land and does not find any of them mesmerizing or fascinating, which are his two requirements in a future wife. One night a princess from the other side of the mountain wanders onto the royal family’s side of the mountain and gets caught in an awful storm in the middle of the night. She knocks on the Prince’s door and the King and Queen take her in for the night. The queen keeps asking her questions to check if she is a real princess and finally decides to test her to find out. She puts a pea under 12 mattresses for the girl to sleep on, because if she is indeed a real princess she will be able to feel the pea and not be able to sleep comfortably even on 12 mattresses. In the morning the princess is black and blue and very tired because she had not gotten any sleep. The prince is instantly mesmerized with her and the queen is satisfied that she is a true princess. The Prince and the Princess are married and just like all fairy tales, live happily ever after.
I really liked this story, because as much as it was a fairy tale it also came out of the fairy tale to include some of Lauren herself. Every now and then she would add a phrase like, “you know how princesses are” or “that’s the thing about kings.” This story could best be used for the art lessons that could come out of the beautiful illustrations and the interesting set up of the illustrations. Child created story box creations of her scenes and then Polly Borland photographed them to bring them to life. This could be used to show children different art styles and to encourage them to experiment with art and see what they come up with. Giving students freedom to express themselves is huge in elementary school. This book would be a great tool in accelerating that idea.
Here is a link to Lauren Child's website. There is more about her artwork and other works there. http://www.milkmonitor.com
This is a story with a familiar title. Underneath the title it says “After the fairy tale by Hans Christian Anderson.” The story line is much the same as Anderson’s old fairytale, but Child’s own use of language comes into play. The story is of a prince whose parents are ready for him to be married. The prince, however, is looking for the right girl who he can fall in love with, which does not prove to be an easy task. The prince meets all the princesses in the land and does not find any of them mesmerizing or fascinating, which are his two requirements in a future wife. One night a princess from the other side of the mountain wanders onto the royal family’s side of the mountain and gets caught in an awful storm in the middle of the night. She knocks on the Prince’s door and the King and Queen take her in for the night. The queen keeps asking her questions to check if she is a real princess and finally decides to test her to find out. She puts a pea under 12 mattresses for the girl to sleep on, because if she is indeed a real princess she will be able to feel the pea and not be able to sleep comfortably even on 12 mattresses. In the morning the princess is black and blue and very tired because she had not gotten any sleep. The prince is instantly mesmerized with her and the queen is satisfied that she is a true princess. The Prince and the Princess are married and just like all fairy tales, live happily ever after.
I really liked this story, because as much as it was a fairy tale it also came out of the fairy tale to include some of Lauren herself. Every now and then she would add a phrase like, “you know how princesses are” or “that’s the thing about kings.” This story could best be used for the art lessons that could come out of the beautiful illustrations and the interesting set up of the illustrations. Child created story box creations of her scenes and then Polly Borland photographed them to bring them to life. This could be used to show children different art styles and to encourage them to experiment with art and see what they come up with. Giving students freedom to express themselves is huge in elementary school. This book would be a great tool in accelerating that idea.
Here is a link to Lauren Child's website. There is more about her artwork and other works there. http://www.milkmonitor.com
Monday, February 25, 2008
Free Verse Reaction to Aleutian Sparrow
In the midst we see a hope.
In the midst we try to resist the fear,
but it comes
In the midst we support each other.
In the midst some give up on each other.
Nobody knows what they will feel when the storm hits,
but in the midst there are kindred hearts.
In the midst there is hope.
In the midst there are small joys.
In the midst there is love...
In the midst we try to resist the fear,
but it comes
In the midst we support each other.
In the midst some give up on each other.
Nobody knows what they will feel when the storm hits,
but in the midst there are kindred hearts.
In the midst there is hope.
In the midst there are small joys.
In the midst there is love...
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Clarice Bean That's Me
Clarice Bean That’s Me was written and illustrated by Lauren Child. It was published by Orchard Books in 1999. It is realistic Fiction and is appropriate for grade 3-5.
Clarice Bean is a series by Lauren Child that targets an older audience. Clarice Bean seems to be around 10 or 11 and shares many of the annoyances that most girls her age do. In this story Clarice explains her life. She goes through each member of her family and talks about them. This story is very much written through the mind of a 10 or 11 year old girl. The things she says about her family and neighbors are so funny and to the point that the reader has to laugh. Through her descriptions and thoughts of her family you see the struggles that most families have. Her older brother is at that sullen teenager stage. Her older sister is boy crazy and doesn’t understand Clarice at all, and her younger brother is a nuisance, just like all little brothers are. The best part of this story is the reality of it. All of the characters in the book are much like the people that most children have in their lives. Most kids have a mom and a dad and brothers and sisters. This family manages to work in a very quirky family and I would suspect that most families work in a very similar way.
I loved that this was such a simple book. There wasn’t really a story line, but it explored a lot of the aspects of Clarice’s life. This book would be great to introduce older elementary girls to. It shows them that there are even books written about the lives of girls their age so they must be important. This book could also open up the idea of keeping a diary to girls or boys who need an outlet. The story is set up as almost a diary of Clarice’s thoughts. This is where a whole class lesson could come into play; showing kids one idea of how a diary could work. This is a quirky book about a reasonably normal family.
Clarice Bean is a series by Lauren Child that targets an older audience. Clarice Bean seems to be around 10 or 11 and shares many of the annoyances that most girls her age do. In this story Clarice explains her life. She goes through each member of her family and talks about them. This story is very much written through the mind of a 10 or 11 year old girl. The things she says about her family and neighbors are so funny and to the point that the reader has to laugh. Through her descriptions and thoughts of her family you see the struggles that most families have. Her older brother is at that sullen teenager stage. Her older sister is boy crazy and doesn’t understand Clarice at all, and her younger brother is a nuisance, just like all little brothers are. The best part of this story is the reality of it. All of the characters in the book are much like the people that most children have in their lives. Most kids have a mom and a dad and brothers and sisters. This family manages to work in a very quirky family and I would suspect that most families work in a very similar way.
I loved that this was such a simple book. There wasn’t really a story line, but it explored a lot of the aspects of Clarice’s life. This book would be great to introduce older elementary girls to. It shows them that there are even books written about the lives of girls their age so they must be important. This book could also open up the idea of keeping a diary to girls or boys who need an outlet. The story is set up as almost a diary of Clarice’s thoughts. This is where a whole class lesson could come into play; showing kids one idea of how a diary could work. This is a quirky book about a reasonably normal family.
I Will Never Not EVER Eat a Tomato
I Will Never Not EVER Eat a Tomato was written and illustrated by Lauren Child. It was published by Orchard Books in 2000. It is realistic Fiction and is appropriate for grades K-2.
This is a story in the Charlie and Lola series. Charlie and Lola are a brother and sister pair from England. In this story Charlie is left in charge of Lola for the evening while their parents go out. It is Charlie’s job to feed his very picky sister dinner. Charlie offers Lola lots of choices for dinner, but she doesn’t seem to like any of the food he offers. This is when Charlie gets creative. He makes up stories for all of the food that Lola won’t eat so that the food seems different, interesting and fun to eat. Carrots are not carrots anymore but orange twiglets from Jupiter. Peas are not peas, but green drops from Greenland. They go through many of the foods that Lola said she wouldn’t eat and she tries and likes all of them. In the end Lola actually asks for a tomato. When Charlie acts surprised, Lola simply says that she of course loves moon squirters!
This book gives a new twist to kids being picky eaters. Most kids at some point refuse to eat certain foods. This book shows that if kids just try some foods they may actually like them. This book can be used to try and open children’s minds, but also to identify foods. The words can be covered up in the story and the kids can identify what kind of food it is. Food is something that all kids can relate to and if kids are given the option they will be picky. I Will Never Not EVER Eat a Tomato is a good tool to use in a practical lesson for younger students.
This is a story in the Charlie and Lola series. Charlie and Lola are a brother and sister pair from England. In this story Charlie is left in charge of Lola for the evening while their parents go out. It is Charlie’s job to feed his very picky sister dinner. Charlie offers Lola lots of choices for dinner, but she doesn’t seem to like any of the food he offers. This is when Charlie gets creative. He makes up stories for all of the food that Lola won’t eat so that the food seems different, interesting and fun to eat. Carrots are not carrots anymore but orange twiglets from Jupiter. Peas are not peas, but green drops from Greenland. They go through many of the foods that Lola said she wouldn’t eat and she tries and likes all of them. In the end Lola actually asks for a tomato. When Charlie acts surprised, Lola simply says that she of course loves moon squirters!
This book gives a new twist to kids being picky eaters. Most kids at some point refuse to eat certain foods. This book shows that if kids just try some foods they may actually like them. This book can be used to try and open children’s minds, but also to identify foods. The words can be covered up in the story and the kids can identify what kind of food it is. Food is something that all kids can relate to and if kids are given the option they will be picky. I Will Never Not EVER Eat a Tomato is a good tool to use in a practical lesson for younger students.
Snow is my Favorite and My Best
Snow is my Favorite and my Best was written and illustrated by Lauren Child. It was published by The Penguin Group in 2006. It is realistic fiction and appropriate for grades K-2.
This is a story in the Charlie and Lola series. It explores a snow day with this brother and sister. Lola is Charlie’s excited younger sister, who cannot seem to get to sleep because she is so excited for the snow to come tomorrow. They finally get to sleep and in the morning their world has turned completely white. Charlie and Lola go out to play in the snow with their friends and have a wonderful time. They sled and make snow angels and when they get too cold they come home for hot chocolate. Lola plans to go out and play some more the next day, but when they wake up, the snow has melted and everything is going back to normal. Lola wishes that it would snow everyday and Charlie has to explain to Lola that if it snowed everyday it wouldn’t be as special. In the end Charlie has a small surprise for Lola to make the snow last a bit longer!
This is yet another great story by Lauren Child. She takes everyday normal occurrences and makes them funny. Snow is something that every kid looks forward to and this story helps children realize that the magic of snow can’t last forever. I really like the Charlie and Lola series because it makes normal things that everyone goes through become fun and entertaining.
This is a good story to read with a class when winter comes. Depending where you live, kids could have snow days. When beginning a lesson on the winter season, this story would be great for younger children.
This is a story in the Charlie and Lola series. It explores a snow day with this brother and sister. Lola is Charlie’s excited younger sister, who cannot seem to get to sleep because she is so excited for the snow to come tomorrow. They finally get to sleep and in the morning their world has turned completely white. Charlie and Lola go out to play in the snow with their friends and have a wonderful time. They sled and make snow angels and when they get too cold they come home for hot chocolate. Lola plans to go out and play some more the next day, but when they wake up, the snow has melted and everything is going back to normal. Lola wishes that it would snow everyday and Charlie has to explain to Lola that if it snowed everyday it wouldn’t be as special. In the end Charlie has a small surprise for Lola to make the snow last a bit longer!
This is yet another great story by Lauren Child. She takes everyday normal occurrences and makes them funny. Snow is something that every kid looks forward to and this story helps children realize that the magic of snow can’t last forever. I really like the Charlie and Lola series because it makes normal things that everyone goes through become fun and entertaining.
This is a good story to read with a class when winter comes. Depending where you live, kids could have snow days. When beginning a lesson on the winter season, this story would be great for younger children.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Hubert Horatio Bartle Bobton-Trent
Hubert Horation Bartle Bobton-Trent is a story written and illusrated by Lauren Child. It was published by Hodder Children's Books in 2004. It fits the children's fiction genre and is appropriate for first through third grade reading levels. However, it could be enjoyed by all elementary levels.
This is the story of Hubert, who is the son of the Bobton-Trents who are extravagantly rich. The Bobton-Trents love throwing parties almost as much as they love their only son. Hubert grows up in a huge mansion with his parents and all three of them enjoy a luxurious lifestyle until Hubert starts to realize that they are running out of money. Hubert tries to sell some of their things to make some money but soon realizes that they only logical answer is to sell their beloved mansion and move to a smaller house. He is not sure how his parents are going to feel about moving since they love their mansion so much. Hubert finally breaks the news to his parents and they sadly leave and move into an apartment complex in the city. It turns out that all the Bobton-Trents need is each other and friends to enjoy and they still have both of those things even in a smaller house. In fact the Bobton-Trents were never happier!
I really enjoyed this story because it has a moral that money does not buy happiness. The thing that really made this story was the illustrations though. Child uses a very unique art style to make this book unique. She uses patterned paper for backgrounds a lot and draws the pictures of the characters to overlay on the backgrounds.
This book can teach a moral lesson to a class. It is fun to read and students would enjoy it and also possibly get something out of it. It could also be used in an art lesson as well. Kids can look at the pictures and create their own mixed media art.
This is the story of Hubert, who is the son of the Bobton-Trents who are extravagantly rich. The Bobton-Trents love throwing parties almost as much as they love their only son. Hubert grows up in a huge mansion with his parents and all three of them enjoy a luxurious lifestyle until Hubert starts to realize that they are running out of money. Hubert tries to sell some of their things to make some money but soon realizes that they only logical answer is to sell their beloved mansion and move to a smaller house. He is not sure how his parents are going to feel about moving since they love their mansion so much. Hubert finally breaks the news to his parents and they sadly leave and move into an apartment complex in the city. It turns out that all the Bobton-Trents need is each other and friends to enjoy and they still have both of those things even in a smaller house. In fact the Bobton-Trents were never happier!
I really enjoyed this story because it has a moral that money does not buy happiness. The thing that really made this story was the illustrations though. Child uses a very unique art style to make this book unique. She uses patterned paper for backgrounds a lot and draws the pictures of the characters to overlay on the backgrounds.
This book can teach a moral lesson to a class. It is fun to read and students would enjoy it and also possibly get something out of it. It could also be used in an art lesson as well. Kids can look at the pictures and create their own mixed media art.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Zack's Alligator
Zack's Alligator by Shirley Mozelle, illustrated by James Watts is the story a boy named Zack who recieves an alligator key chain in the mail and when he waters it the alligator begins to grow and comes to life. This story is an older book published by Harper & Row in 1989. It can be placed in the fantasy fiction genre. It is appropriate for children grades k-3.
Zack recieves a packages in the mail from his uncle Jim in the everglades of Florida. It is an alligator key chain that Zack is instructed to water. When Zack puts Bridget, the alligator in the sink she comes to life and quickly starts to grow. He has to move her to the bathtub soon because she grows too large for the sink. Bridget is a fun-loving but bossy alligator that takes Zack on an adventure. The make meatloaf surprise and go to the park. At the end of the story Bridget starts to shrink again and eventually shrinks back to down to key chain size. The story ends kind of abruptly with Zack promising to water Bridget again tomorrow and Bridget being happy to live in Zack's pocket.
This story is a fun way for kids to imagine what it would be like to have an exotic pet. However, it is a very unrealistic as the parents and other people in the story just sort of accept that this kid has an alligator that he got in the mail. I liked the story because of the imagination involved and also because of the pictures.
This story can be useful in a classroom when discussing manners. Bridget the Alligator is very bossy and messy and does not apologize or offer to help clean up her mess. I don't know how a child would feel, but I was left kind of hoping Zack would leave her as a key chain so she wouldn't cause anymore problems! This book is mostly a fun book for kids to read. There is a lot of text so kids could get more practice at reading than with smaller books. Overall this book is good, but not the best example of children's literature.
Zack recieves a packages in the mail from his uncle Jim in the everglades of Florida. It is an alligator key chain that Zack is instructed to water. When Zack puts Bridget, the alligator in the sink she comes to life and quickly starts to grow. He has to move her to the bathtub soon because she grows too large for the sink. Bridget is a fun-loving but bossy alligator that takes Zack on an adventure. The make meatloaf surprise and go to the park. At the end of the story Bridget starts to shrink again and eventually shrinks back to down to key chain size. The story ends kind of abruptly with Zack promising to water Bridget again tomorrow and Bridget being happy to live in Zack's pocket.
This story is a fun way for kids to imagine what it would be like to have an exotic pet. However, it is a very unrealistic as the parents and other people in the story just sort of accept that this kid has an alligator that he got in the mail. I liked the story because of the imagination involved and also because of the pictures.
This story can be useful in a classroom when discussing manners. Bridget the Alligator is very bossy and messy and does not apologize or offer to help clean up her mess. I don't know how a child would feel, but I was left kind of hoping Zack would leave her as a key chain so she wouldn't cause anymore problems! This book is mostly a fun book for kids to read. There is a lot of text so kids could get more practice at reading than with smaller books. Overall this book is good, but not the best example of children's literature.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Moses
Moses, When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Kadir Nelson is the story of Harriet Tubmans struggle for freedom and her trust in God to lead her in helping other slaves to reach freedom. This story was published in 2006 by Hyperion Books for Children. It is in the Historical Fiction genre and is geared toward grades k-3.
The book is a conversation between Harriet Tubman and God, with some narration. The story goes through all the trials she went through as a slave and then running away to the north to escape freedom. It does not end with her reaching freedom though, she then goes back to help her family and other slaves reach freedom by using the underground railroad. The story is based on facts in history but does not claim to be a true story.
I really enjoyed the structure of this book. The way it is written as a conversation was a different take on children's literature that I had never seen before. I was not sure how it could be used in a school classroom because of the religious basis, but I think the illustrations by themselves tell a story that is beautiful. I really enjoyed this book because of the emotions it evoked. I got goose bumps reading it and realizing the human aspect of the undergroung railroad and the intensity of being a runaway slave.
I would be nervous to read this book to my class because of the blatant religion that makes up the story. I think if I explained to my class that the story is based on Harriet Tubman's belief in God and that the real story is in the facts behind it then I would absolutely use it in my classroom. I think this is a good way to introduce a heavy subject to younger students. The kids can see the real emotion involved in a piece of history that is usually glossed over in school.
The book is a conversation between Harriet Tubman and God, with some narration. The story goes through all the trials she went through as a slave and then running away to the north to escape freedom. It does not end with her reaching freedom though, she then goes back to help her family and other slaves reach freedom by using the underground railroad. The story is based on facts in history but does not claim to be a true story.
I really enjoyed the structure of this book. The way it is written as a conversation was a different take on children's literature that I had never seen before. I was not sure how it could be used in a school classroom because of the religious basis, but I think the illustrations by themselves tell a story that is beautiful. I really enjoyed this book because of the emotions it evoked. I got goose bumps reading it and realizing the human aspect of the undergroung railroad and the intensity of being a runaway slave.
I would be nervous to read this book to my class because of the blatant religion that makes up the story. I think if I explained to my class that the story is based on Harriet Tubman's belief in God and that the real story is in the facts behind it then I would absolutely use it in my classroom. I think this is a good way to introduce a heavy subject to younger students. The kids can see the real emotion involved in a piece of history that is usually glossed over in school.
What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?
What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page was a very basic children's picture book. The words are basic and repetitive, but the pictures are indepth and capturing. The book was published by the Houghton Mifflin Company in 2003 and could be included in the Animal Trivia genre.
Every other page in this book shows a certain part of a few different animals and asks what do you do with a nose, tail, mouth like this. Then the next page after each of these pages shows the rest of each of the animals and explains how they use the parts uniquely. The illustrations in this story make the book what it is. The pictures of all the different animals are intrigueing and will pull kids into the story. The book also teaches kids about different animals and how they use their bodies differently than we do as humans.
The book uses very basic language and is very repetitve. It is made for kindergarten or first graders learning to read. The repetitive nature of the story makes it easier for kids to learn the rythm of reading and begin to match their spoken words with the words on the pages. I enjoyed the book but I was not as enthralled with it as other stories I have read for this age level. I think the animals will hold kids attention and give kids a greater understanding of the world around them.
I would encourage all of my kindergarten students to read this book or even read along with me while they are just beginning to read. I think it would also be an excellent tool to read to the entire class to discuss different types of animals and different types of art.
Every other page in this book shows a certain part of a few different animals and asks what do you do with a nose, tail, mouth like this. Then the next page after each of these pages shows the rest of each of the animals and explains how they use the parts uniquely. The illustrations in this story make the book what it is. The pictures of all the different animals are intrigueing and will pull kids into the story. The book also teaches kids about different animals and how they use their bodies differently than we do as humans.
The book uses very basic language and is very repetitve. It is made for kindergarten or first graders learning to read. The repetitive nature of the story makes it easier for kids to learn the rythm of reading and begin to match their spoken words with the words on the pages. I enjoyed the book but I was not as enthralled with it as other stories I have read for this age level. I think the animals will hold kids attention and give kids a greater understanding of the world around them.
I would encourage all of my kindergarten students to read this book or even read along with me while they are just beginning to read. I think it would also be an excellent tool to read to the entire class to discuss different types of animals and different types of art.
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