The Story of Babar

Publication Year: 1931

Author: Jean de Brunhoff

Genre: Fiction

Grade Level: Kindergarten to Grade 2

Theme: Courage and pride

Skill Taught: Making connections

Summary: A young elephant named Babar escapes being caught by the hunter who killed his mother.  He runs away from the jungle and to the big city where he meets an old lady who buys him nice clothing and a tutor to educate him.  He marries Celeste, also an elephant, and returns to the jungle to be crowned the King of Elephants.   

About the Author: Jean de Brunhoff was born in Paris on December 9, 1899.  He is best known for his creation of the Babar series.  The books are a reflection of Jean's life and philosophy.  As a Frenchman, his books first appeared in French, and then within two years, they were translated into English.  His wife created the character Babar and the adventures he went on to help put a smile on their four-year-old son who was ill.  In 1937, Jean passed away of tuberculosis, but his son Laurent, has continued the series producing over fifty Babar books.  (http://www.bookrags.com/biography/jean-de-brunhoff/)  

For the Classroom

Pre-Reading Activity: I would introduce the ideas of fantasy and reality.  Students would receive a graphic organizer to write down an explanation and examples of fantasy and reality.  Students who like to volunteer, would share their examples with the class.    

Post-Reading Activity: When completing the read aloud, students would then write a brief log about a "Text-to-Self" connection.  Prompts would be projected onto the front board such as, a trip/vacation to somewhere new, being away from friends and/or home for an extended period of time, or a time they proud or courageous.  At the end of the unit, their notebooks would be collected, I would look over all the assignments. 

Reflection: Reading The Story of Babar, it reminded me of other books I have read such as Curious George, The Lion King, and Bambi.  This book as well as the rest of the series is a great set of books to have in the classroom because students will fall in love with Babar, from a little elephant being rocked in a hammock, to a grown elephant with a family.  The books are easy for children to comprehend and the illustrations will continue to attract their interest.  Throughout the series, Babar shows good character through difficult events and proves why being optimistic is important.    

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Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type

Publication Year: 2000

Author: Doreen Cronin

Genre: Fiction

Grade Level: Kindergarten to Grade 2

Theme: Conflict resolutions

Skill Taught: Making predictions, creative thinking

Summary: The story is about Farmer Brown and his cows.  The cows have found an old typewriter in the barn and have typed out a message that they would like electric blankets because the barn is too cold.  Farmer Brown can't believe the cows are able to use the typewriter, and even more stunned when he realizes the cows will go on strike if their demands are not met.  Farmer Brown does not fold into the demands, which leads to the cows going on strike.  The hens join the strike as well, leaving Farmer Brown with no eggs nor milk.  Between the two sides is Duck, who delivers the typed messages back and forth.  The book ends with the cows developing a solution that ultimately makes both sides happy.   

About the Author: Doreen Cronin was born in Queens and latter attended Pennsylvania State University, followed by St. John's University School of law.  Her first book, Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type was rejected numerous times, but while she was a practicing attorney, a publishing company accepted her manuscript and wanted to turn it into a book.  The process took five years, but she was committed to never giving up the story that so many people love today.  Doreen has decided to change career and become a full-time children's author.  

(http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/contributor/doreen-cronin-0)  

For the Classroom

Pre-Reading Activity: I would begin by showing students the cover of the book and reading the title out loud, asking the students for predictions of what the book may be about.  I would then go into a class discussion about the sounds animals make, and ask the questions, "Who has pets?" "How do you know when they want something?" "What would it be like if animals could talk?" "What might they say to us?" I feel children will be unfamiliar with typewriters, so I would try to find one and bring it into class for students to look at and play around with, becoming familiar with the sounds it makes.

Post-Reading Activity: When we have completed the book, I would ask the students what would happen if other animals could type, and what would they ask for.  We would listen to students' thoughts and then they would go back to their seats to write a short story along with an illustration about any animal of their choice and the demands they would have.  

Reflection: Children love animals, and this book's watercolor illustrations compliment the animal characters that children will enjoy reading about.  The story is funny and different, allowing children's imaginations to wonder as they hear the story and see the pictures.  I like how the book incorporates the entire class during a read aloud, suggesting that everyone reads, "Click Clack Moo, Click Clack Moo, Clickety Clack MOO."  This kind of reading keeps students' excitement level high throughout the book, as well as keeps their focus.  Another aspect I liked about the book are the cows' eyes expressions.  

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Frindle

Publication Year: 1996

Author: Andrew Clements

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Grade Level: Grade 4 to Grade 6

Theme: Creative writing

Skill Taught: Structure of the dictionary

Summary: A boy named Nick in Mrs. Granger's fifth grade English class makes up a word for a research paper about the history of the dictionary.  He creates the word "frindle," another name for a pen.  The word begins being used by the fifth grade and eventually becomes popular across the country.  The story ends as Nick is a rich college student from marketing the word "frindle." He receives a package from Mrs. Granger of a dictionary with the word frindle in it, along with a letter stating how proud she is of his accomplishment.  

About the Author: Andrew Clements was born in Camden, New Jersey in 1949 with a family who loved to read.  After one of his tough high school teachers suggested that one of his poems should be published, the thought crossed his mind that he might want to be a writer.  While at Northwestern University, a professor of a nearby college noticed his work and asked if he would like to teach a creative workshop.  He went on to teach in a couple of public schools within Chicago for seven years.  When enrollment went down, Clement lost his job and moved to New York City to become a songwriter, but it didn't work out.  A college friend of his gave him a call asking for help with a new company that wrote children's picture books.  It was then, when Clements began stirring up thoughts for his first novel Frindle, which took about six years from thoughts to a published copy.  (http://www.andrewclements.com/bio.html)

For the Classroom

Pre-Reading Activity: As a class, we would look for the definition of "frindle" in the dictionary, but will not find he word.  We will look at how the dictionary is structured as it provides a definition, the pronunciation, and part of speech.

Post-Reading Activity: Students would create their own word, providing its definition, pronunciation, part of speech, synonyms, and antonyms.  After students have created their word, they will then write a short story or poem about the word, and have the opportunity to share with the class if they would like.  I would walk around the classroom checking students work and attending to their needs and questions.

Reflection: Frindle is one of my favorite books and made me realize how much fun reading can be.  When I was a child, reading didn't interest me as much as it did compared to my classmates.  In fifth grade, my teacher read this book to our class and I was so engaged in the story that I've read it several times since.  Andrew Clements has a series of these types of books about students and school related issues.  Similar to Frindle, I have read them all multiple times.  It sounds funny to say this book has changed my life, but it has.  I only wish I had been introduced to this book earlier in my life.

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Abe Lincoln at Last!

Publication Year: 2011

Author: Mary Pope Osborne

Genre: Narrative Non-Fiction, Adventure

Grade Level: Grade 2 to Grade 6

Theme: Government, Lincoln History

Skill Taught: How to read and fill-out a ballot, structure of democracy

Summary: Jack and Annie travel back in time to reverse the cast spell placed on Merlin.  They need to collect four items, two of which have been collected prior to the story beginning   Jack and Annie are in the year 1861 on the front lawn of the White House and meet Tad and Willie, the President's sons.  After making a wish to meet the President, they transport further back in time and meet a boy named Sam.  Soon after Sam gives them a feather pen he made, they are pulled back to the White House lawn.  Jack and Annie find the President walking around outside, and he tells them a story about when he was younger, how he met the two and played a trick on them by having them think his name was Sam.  They reassure to Lincoln the Civil War will end and freedom will come; he gives them the final item.  Jack and Annie have collected all four items and go back to the Magic Tree House, returning to the present, and then head off to school.

About the Author: Mary Pope Osborne was brought up by a father who was in the military.  At a young age, Mary traveled the world with her father, and after graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,  she continued her love of traveling.  As an author of children's literature, she turns her day dreams into stories for children to enjoy.  Mary was an established author for over ten years before she began the Magic Tree House series with her husband and one of her best friends.  (http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/contributor/mary-pope-osborne-0)  

For the Classroom

Pre-Reading Activity: Using construction paper, scissors, glue, and markers, students would construct a timeline highlighting the key moments in Abraham Lincoln's life.  The class would be instructed to find the year he was born, elected as president, signed the Emancipation Proclamation, assassinated, and other events the student found interesting.  I would check their timelines before they could begin gluing the events.   

Post-Reading Activity: I would connect the book to this year's presidential election and introduce students to vocabulary such as conservative, liberal, republican, democrat, and the meaning of democracy.  Students would receive a map of the United States and color each state either red or blue depending on which candidate won the particular state.  I would begin a class discussion about the electoral college and that a candidate may not win even if they received the popular vote.  I would get my hands on a ballot and give students the opportunity to see what one looks like, but also contribute to a mock vote to see who would become President if it were up to our class.

Reflection: Our book club chose Abe Lincoln at Last! because it tells an adventurous story while at the same time, providing the reader with insights of Abraham Lincoln and the year 1861.  The back of the book includes factual information about important events that took place and why Abraham Lincoln was considered one of the best presidents of all time.  The Magic Tree House series is a great set of books to have in any classroom, and with the common core standards, these books are helpful to incorporate reading and writing with other subjects.  With each Magic Tree House book, there is a Fact Tracker book that goes along with the story book, supplying students with more educational information on the particular topic.

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No, David!

Publication Year: 1998
Author: David Shannon

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Grade Level: Pre-K to Grade 2

Theme: Misbehavior and consequences

Skill Taught: Three parts to reading a book

Summary: This story is about a young boy named David and the trouble he gets into.  His mom is always saying "No, David!" From reaching into the cookie jar, walking through the house full of mud, playing with his food, knocking down a vase, or picking his nose, he is always causing mischief.  Regardless of the trouble  he continually gets into, his mother still loves him.

About the Author: David Shannon was born in Washington, D. C. on October 5, 1960.  Shannon loved to make his own illustrations to the books he was reading in high school, leading him to choose the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.  After college, he moved to New York City to work for the New York Times and the Book Review.  Working for these two groups exposed his illustrations across the country, leading to his first book of illustrations in How Many Spots Does a Leopard Have?  His first children's book was How Georgie Radbourn Saved Baseball, which was published in 1994.  (http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/contributor/david-shannon)  

For the Classroom

Pre-Reading Activity: I would introduce to students the idea of comprehending a book by "reading" its pictures.  I would begin by having the class draw a picture and be able to tell a story from it.  Students would turn to their partner, taking turns telling the story of their picture with no words.  We would begin reading the book by only looking at the pictures and analyzing what is happening on each page.  We would read the book a second time, but this turn around, we would read the words.  As a group, we would compare how we read the story through its pictures and then through its words.   

Post-Reading Activity: After reading the book twice, students would take turns retelling the story to a partner as we went through the book one page at a time.  Students would go back to their seats and I would begin a class discussion about the importance of reading a book in the three different methods we did, and ask the class to explain the benefits of this strategy.  Once we have concluded our class discussion, student would then write an entry into their Learning Logs to be collected at a later date.

Reflection: I really enjoyed the artwork of this book, and especially David's appearance.  This book is a great way to teach students to not only read the words, but the pictures too.  It is a story all children can relate to, and makes them aware they are always loved no matter how much trouble they find themselves in.  This book can also be used to help children recognize their mistakes and learning from them, supporting a healthy development.      

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Strega Nona

Year Published: 1975

Author: Tomie dePaola

Genre: Fairy Tale

Grade Level: Kindergarten to Grade 3

Theme: Responsibility, resourcefulness

Skill Taught: Italian culture

Summary: This book is about a helpful grandmother witch named Strega Nona, and her magic pasta pot.  One day, Strega Nona leaves town and employs Big Anthony to watch over her house and garden, and tells him not to touch the pot while she is away.  Big Anthony can't resist and begins singing to the pot, making enough pasta to fill up the house, as well as the town.  He doesn't know to blow kisses to the pot in order to stop it from making any more pasta.  Fortunately, Strega Nona returns and stops to the pot from making more pasta.  She hands Big Anthony a fork and makes him eat all of the pasta he made.  

About the Author: Tomie dePaola was born in Meriden, Connecticut on September 15, 1934, and developed at an early age a love for reading.  Throughout his school years, he enjoyed drawing and dancing. After graduating from high school, he went to Pratt Institute and practiced drawing everything.  His first job was to illustrate for a science book titled Sound.  About a year later, he wrote and illustrated his first book, The Wonderful Dragon of Timlin.  Over the past 40 years, Tomie has written over 100 stories and illustrated over 250 books.  (http://www.tomie.com/about_tomie/bio.html)

For the Classroom

Pre-Reading Activity: I would have a K-W-L handout for the students, informing them the "K" stands for what students know, the "W" stands for what students want to learn, and the "L" stands for what students have learned.  Before reading the book, students would write any information they know and want to know about Italy.  I would walk around the room to make sure students were filling the cart out correctly.

Post-Reading Activity: After reading the book, we would explore Calabria by first locating Italy on a world map.  I would project pictures of Calabria's geography and inform the students briefly about the Italian culture, including a visual of the Italian flag, popular food, and a few Italian word (Strega: Witch, Nona: Grandma, Si: Yes, Grazia: Thank you, Libro: Book, Per Favore: Please).  The lesson would finish by students filling the last column of their K-W-L chart and sharing to the class something new they learned.

Reflection: Being Italian, I found this book enjoyable and a great way to incorporate culture into a book.  Depending how much time a teacher would like to spend with this book will determine how much they can teach students about the Italian culture as well as what makes all cultures unique.  The book teaches the lesson to be responsible, and gets the point across in a funny way.

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Curious George

Year Published: 1941

Author: Hans Augusto Rey

Genre: Fiction

Grade Level: Kindergarten to Grade 2

Theme: Curiosity

Skill Taught: Compare and Contrast

Summary: This book is about a curious brown monkey named George who is brought to a big city by a man in a yellow hat.  George originally lived in the jungles of Africa.  While traveling to a big city, George falls off a boat pretending to be a bird.  When they have arrived to the city, George calls the fire department on accident and gets put in jail.  He escapes from jail and then takes a bunch of balloons from a vendor in the street.  George takes one too many balloons and floats over the city and eventually onto a traffic light.  The man with the yellow hat rescues him, buys the balloons, and then takes him to the zoo.

For the Classroom

Pre-Reading Activity: I would begin class by having students open to a clean page in their writers notebook.  I would model on the front board what I would like students to do in their notebooks.  I would make a Venn diagram, labeling the far left circle "City,"  the far right circle "Jungle," and the the middle circle "Same." Together as a class, we would write down the differences between a jungle and a city, as well as their similarities. 

Post-Reading Activity: Finishing the class read aloud, students would open up their writers notebook and write about their experiences at the zoo.  I would post questions on the front board for students to answer such as "What is your favorite animal and why?" "What animals did you touch or feed?" "What do the people do who work at the zoo?" "What did you find interesting or shocked you at the zoo?" Once students have had class time to finish, I would check to their notebooks to see if they have answered the questions and ask for volunteers to share their thoughts to the class.

Reflection: The Curious George series were books I grew up with during my childhood.  As a child, I like the adventures George would go on and explore the world much of the same way I would imagine myself doing.  Looking back on the series, I have learned that George teaches a simple, yet valuable lesson; in order to learn, one needs to be curious.  As a future educator, teaching students to always ask questions is important to their development and learning experience.  

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