Picture Book #26

Author:  Jerdine Nolen

Title:  Thunder Rose

Illustrator:  Kadir Nelson

Readability score:  Kindergarten to Grade 3

Genre:  Fiction

Subgenre:  Tall Tale

Theme:  Never give up on your dreams.  Be heroic.  

Primary and secondary characters:  Rose, Millicent and Jackson MacGruder, Tater

Awards: Coretta Scott King Award 2004

Date of Publication:  2003

Publishing company:  Harcourt Books

ISBN number:   0-15-216472-3

Rose was born on a dark, stormy night to Jackson and Millicent MacGruder.  As soon as she was born, the baby sat up and looked around.  She thanked her parents for birthing her and she said she wanted to be named Rose. What a surprise!  She took the lightning right from the sky.  Rose grew up drinking milk straight from the cow.  She was strong.  She worked hard around the farm, fixing fences and carrying milk.  When she was twelve, she found her friend, Tater the bull.  She also made a wire fence that would later be called barbed wire after her friend Barbara Jay.  Rose was sent to Abilene to trade cattle at the market.  While she was there, she caught the outlaw Jesse Baines.  On her way home, the cows began to thirst to death.  Rose decided to squeeze the clouds for rain.  All of a sudden, a tornado came up.  Rose lassoed the tornado and used lightning to bring the rain.  She was known all across the land as Thunder Rose.

This story provides an alternative to the typical Western story.  It is a tall tale, but it introduces language that was typical in the early West.  I would use this story as an introduction to figurative language and how tall tales use figurative language.  The students can make connections to the text by deciding what is real in the story and what is only figurative.  For example, I would ask the students if newborn babies are strong enough to lift a cow.  Obviously, they would say that was not possible. I would say that this is an example of an element of tall tales.  They stretch the imagination.  

Picture Book #25

Author:  Pat Mora

Title:  Dona Flor

Illustrator:  Raul Colon

Readability score:  Kindergarten to Grade 2

Genre:  Fiction

Subgenre:  Tall Tale

Theme:  Things aren't always as they seem.  Use your talents and abilities to help others.

Primary and secondary characters:  Dona Flor, Pumito

Awards:  IRA Teachers' Choice Award

Date of Publication:  2005

Publishing company:  Alfred A. Knopf

ISBN number:  0-375-82337-9

Dona Flor was a giant.  She could speak to the animals.  Dona Flor helped her friends when they were late for school by carrying them all the way.  She built her own house out a the mountains.  She made tortillas that could be used as a boat.  The townspeople were plagued by a terrible cat who roared so loudly.  They asked Dona Flor to find the cat and save the town.  She went looking for the cat but never found it.  It continued to circle the town and roar.  Flor decides to ask her animal friends for help. They tell her to go to the tallest mesa.  Dona Flor goes and finds a tiny puma roaring into a hollow log.  That was why the cat sounded so big!  She plucked the cat up and decided to call him Pumito.  They became good friends.  That night they slept on the clouds.

Dona Flor is a perfect example of a bilingual children's story.  This story could be used to introduce students to the Spanish language and culture.  I would use this story with ELL students who are struggling to transition from Spanish to English.  This story combines both languages.  Spanish students would appreciate this story and non-Spanish students would be introduced to Spanish words and culture.  

Picture Book #24

Author:  Patricia C. McKissack

Title:  Goin' Someplace Special

Illustrator:  Jerry Pinkney

Readability score:  Kindergarten to Grade 2

Genre:  Fiction

Subgenre:  Historical

Theme:  Everyone has a special place.  

Primary and secondary characters:  Tricia Ann, Mama Frances, Jimmy Lee, Mr. John Willis, Blooming Mary

Awards:  2002 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award

Date of Publication:  2001

Publishing company:  Atheneum Books for Young Readers

ISBN number:  0-689-81885-8

Tricia Ann tells Mama Frances that she is going Someplace Special by herself.  Mama Frances is hesitant at first, but decides to let her go on her own.  Tricia Ann heads to the bus stop.  She gets on the bus and has to sit at the back.  She hates sitting in the back.  Jim Crow isn't fair.  Tricia Ann gets off the bus at the right stop and heads to the park, where she can't sit because it is for whites only.  Tricia Ann keeps going.  She stops by the Southland Hotel to say hello to her friend, Mr. Willis.  Somehow she gets swept inside.  She gets kicked out immediately when some people notice her.  Tricia Ann gets upset and wants to go home.  She goes to the garden at the Mission Church, where Blooming Mary tells her to keep going and don't be afraid.  Tricia Ann finally makes it to Someplace Special, the Nashville Public Library, where everyone is welcome.  

This story would be appropriate in a literature circle that would take place around a Civil Rights Unit.  I would have the students read the story and answer some discussion questions.  The questions are:  Have you ever had a special place?  Describe it.  Were you allowed to go there by yourself?  What makes a Special Place special?  What or who is Jim Crow?  Based on what Tricia Ann says, is Jim Crow bad or good?  

Picture Book #23

Author:  Allen Say

Title:  Grandfather's Journey

Illustrator:  Allen Say

Readability score:  Grade 3 to Grade 5

Genre:  Fiction

Subgenre:  Realistic

Theme:  Home is where the heart is.

Primary and secondary characters:  Grandfather, narrator (grandson)

Awards:  1994 Caldecott Medal

Date of Publication:  1993

Publishing company:  Houghton Mifflin Company

ISBN number:  0-395-57035-2

A young Japanese man leaves home to travel the world.  He explores America by train and boat.  He is amazed by the beautiful country.  California was his favorite place.  He returns to Japan to marry his sweetheart.  They come back to California to live and they raise their daughter there.  He and his family return to Japan, where his grandson is born.  The old man never returns to California, but he will never forget.

This story would be appropriate in an introduction to the Industrial Age, when America was booming and people were visiting from all over the world.  The illustrations in the story are a perfect glimpse into what the early American Dream looked like.  The grandfather was a dreamer.  I would read the story aloud to the students and ask them if they have ever been away from home for a long time.  Did they miss home?  Was there a place that they like better than home?  

Picture Book #22

Author:  Holly L. Niner

Title:  I Can't Stop!

Illustrator:  Meryl Treatner

Readability score:  Kindergarten to Grade 3

Genre:  Fiction

Subgenre:  Realistic

Theme:  Children with Tourette Syndrome are just like everyone else.

Primary and secondary characters:  Nathan, Josh, Mom, Dad, Dr. Phillips

Awards:  2006 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Award

Date of Publication:  2005

Publishing company: Albert Whitman & Company

ISBN number:  0-8075-3620-2

Nathan began to blink a lot and it is getting on everyone's nerves.  Then he started sniffing.  After that, he started snapping his head.  Nathan's friend, Josh, is getting embarrassed.  At his swim race, Nathan feels completely normal.  Once he gets out, the head jerking starts again.  His mom decides to take him to the doctor. Dr. Phillips tells Nathan and his family that he has Tourette syndrome.  Nathan's mom helps him keep track of his tics so that he can learn to control them.  Nathan tells his classmates about his TS and everyone is very understanding.  Josh sticks by Nathan when his tics become more noticeable.  Nathan learns that his tics cannot keep him from accomplishing anything.

This story is very informative about TS.  I would share this story with my class to help them understand that some people do have tics that are uncontrollable.  It is important to be tolerant of everyone.  This story is also an example of true friendship.  This story may be comforting for students that have TS.  It may help the students to understand exactly what it feels like and that teasing is not the answer.  

Picture book #21

Author:  Vaunda Micheaux Nelson

Title:  Almost to Freedom

Illustrator:  Colin Bootman

Readability score:  Grade 3 to Grade 5

Genre:  Fiction

Subgenre:  Historical

Theme:  A doll is a witness who cannot die, with a doll you are never alone.  

Primary and secondary characters:  Miz Rachel, Lindy, Sally, Mr. Henry, Willa

Awards:  2003 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award

Date of Publication:  2003

Publishing company:  Carolrhoda Books, Inc.

ISBN number:  1-57505-342-X

Sally is Lindy's doll baby.  Sally goes everywhere with Lindy.  She works in the cotton, she sleeps with her, and Sally even runs away with Lindy and Miz Rachel.  Lindy and Miz Rachel are leaving the plantation through the Underground Railroad.  They stay in a cellar of some nice white people.  In the middle of the night Lindy and Miz Rachel must make a quick getaway.  Sally gets left behind!  She feels very lonely and she misses Lindy.  One night a runaway slave girl named Willa comes.  Willa takes Sally in and Sally becomes Willa's doll baby.

This story would be appropriate for an all girl's literature circle.  Once the girls read the story, they will answer the following questions in a discussion.  Have you ever had a doll or favorite toy that you took everywhere?  What is it's name?  Have you ever lost your favorite doll or toy?  How did you feel when you lost it?  Did you get it back?  How do you think Lindy felt when she realized that Sally had been left behind?  Do you think Lindy would have been glad that Sally found a new friend to take care of her?

Picture Book # 20

Author:  Joseph Bruchac

Title:  Crazy Horse's Vision

Illustrator:  S.D. Nelson

Readability score:  Kindergarten to Grade 1

Genre:  Fiction

Subgenre:  Historical

Theme:  Keep nothing for yourself.
Primary and secondary characters:  Curly, Tashunka Witco, Conquering Bear
Awards:  ALA Notable Children's Book Award
Date of Publication:  2000
Publishing company:  South China Printing Company
ISBN number:  1-880000-94-6

Crazy Horse's Vision is about a young Lakota boy named Curly who grows up to become known as Crazy Horse.  Curly was a natural born leader.  He was courageous, honest, and generous.  He hunted buffalo to give to the poor.  One day, a cow from the white Army settlers comes into his village and destroys a tipi.  A Lakota man kills the cow.  The white settlers are very angry.  They come into the village and kill many people.  Curly wants to know how to help his people so he goes in search of a vision.  His vision tells him to keep nothing for himself.  He doesn't tell anyone about his vision until many years later.  His vision comes true.  Curly becomes known as Crazy Horse, Defender of the Lakotas.

I would use this story during a unit on western settlement.  This story is given from the viewpoint of Native Americans.  I would read the story aloud to my group of first graders and explain to them that white settlers were often unfair and cruel when they moved West.  I would show the students a picture of Crazy Horse's carving in the mountain.  Crazy Horse was a very notable Native American leader, which is the reason why he has been commemorated into the side of a mountain.  The students may compare this to Mount Rushmore.  I would explain to the students that Presidents were not the only notable leaders in American history.

Chapter Book #12

Author:  Karen Hesse

Title:  Out of the Dust

Illustrator: N/A

Readability score:  Grade 6 to Grade 8

Genre:  Fiction

Subgenre:  Historical

Theme:  Out of the dust comes growth. 

Primary and secondary characters:  Billie Jo, Ma, Daddy, Franklin, Miss Freeland, Mad Dog, Arley. Louise

Awards:  Newbery Honor Award, Scott O'Dell Award

Date of Publication:  1997

Publishing company:  Scholastic, Inc.

ISBN number:  0-590-37125-8

Billie Jo grew up in the time of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression in Oklahoma.  Her life is bleak and dusty, but she has her parents and her piano to keep her happy.  Ma is strict on Billie Jo, never allowing her to play the piano even though she is a great musician.  Billie Jo describes the terrible dust storms that smother chickens, strip the land, and leave everything covered in mounds of dust.  The family is slowing losing hope when Ma announces she is pregnant.  Billie Jo is happy to have a brother or sister.  Her world is turned upside down when a pail of kerosene catches on fire in the kitchen.  She tries to put it out but burns her hands badly and catches her mother on fire.  Ma is unrecognizable.  She still carries the baby, but she dies from her wounds and labor.  Billie Jo's baby brother dies a few hours later.  Daddy and Billie Jo are devastated.  She cannot talk to her father, because she blames herself.  She can't even play the piano anymore.  Her hands are ruined.  Billie Jo decides to run away.  She makes it to Arizona, but she realizes she can't leave her home and the dust.  It is her whole world.  When she comes back two days later, her father is waiting for her.  They begin to rekindle their relationship.  Billie Jo begins to play the piano again, the rains come bringing hope, and Daddy finds a new love in Louise.  Billie Jo has come out of the dust.

This story is a harrowing account of an aspect of the Great Depression era that many people do not think about: the Dust Bowl.  The amount of dust that blew across the plains stripped the land of nutrients and made it infertile, furthering the economic depression.  Many people starved or died from the dust storms.  Life was unbearable.  This story is a short read that captures the reader's attention immediately.  Sixth grade students would appreciate Billie Jo's story because she was about their age.  I would ask the students upon reading the story to research the Dust Bowl.  I would ask them to report on how Roosevelt handled the Dust Bowl.  What was done to alleviate the dust?  Each literature club would have a different question to research.  They will present their findings to the rest of the class.  This activity is more effective than the teacher simply teaching the events of the Great Depression to the students because they are teaching it to themselves.  

Chapter Book #11

Author:  Michael O. Tunnell

Title:  Candy Bomber

Illustrator: N/A

Readability score:  Grade 3 to Grade 6

Genre:  Non-fiction

Subgenre: Biography

Theme:  From little things come big things.

Primary and secondary characters:  Lt. Halvorsen, Peter Zimmerman, Mercedes Simon, Captain Eugene Williams

Awards:  Orbis Pictus Honor Book

Date of Publication:  2010

Publishing company:  Charlesbridge

ISBN number:  978-1-58089-336-7

West Berlin was slowly starving as supplies ran out following World War II.  The United States and Britain worked together to bring supplies by airlift to the people.  The U.S. called it Operation Vittles.  Lt. Gail Halverson was a pilot who helped dropped food in Berlin.  One day, as he was touring the broken and battered city, he came across a group of children staring at him from across a fence.  The children looked hungry.  He spoke kindly to them.  All he had to offer them was two pieces of gum.  As he gave them the gum, he got an idea.  He would try to drop gum and chocolate for the children.  He went back to his fellow pilots and told them the plan.  They all gathered as much candy as they could find and made parachutes to drop it in.  The next day, they dropped the candy.  The children were so happy.  Lt. Halverson and his friends continued to drop candy that was donated by fellow soldiers.  Pretty soon, candy was being shipped in from all over to send to the children.  Even adults in Berlin wanted candy.  Letters started pouring in asking for candy.  The United States started sending candy.  Lt. Halverson brought joy to the children from Berlin who had lost so much.  He won many awards and continued to help children in need.  He sent candy to Serbia during the conflict there in the early 90s.  His foundation sent candy to Polynesian children at Christmas.  In 2008, he went back to Germany to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Airlift.

I would read excerpts from this chapter book aloud to my students, allowing them to get the idea of the Candy Bomber and what he did for the German children.  Afterwards, I would ask the children to pretend that they are living in Germany after the war and want some candy.  I would give them time to contemplate this.  Then, I would ask them to write a letter to Lt. Halverson asking him to send candy.  They can be specific and describe what their house looks like and what kind of candy to bring.  The letters may also include pictures.  The students must also give their appreciation as well, just as the German children did 65 years ago.

Chapter Book #10

Author:  Lois Metzger

Title: Yours, Anne: The Life of Anne Frank

Illustrator: N/A

Readability score:  Grade 3 to Grade 5

Genre:  Non-fiction

Subgenre: Biography

Theme:  Be courageous.  Do what it takes to survive.  Find the light in every darkness.

Primary and secondary characters:  Anne Frank, Otto Frank, Margot Frank, Edith Frank, Mr. and Mrs. van Pels, Peter van Pels, Miep, Kitty

Awards:  N/A

Date of Publication:  2004

Publishing company:  Scholastic, Inc.

ISBN number:  0-439-59099-X

Yours, Anne is the story of Anne Frank as told by her family friends and her diary, Kitty.  Anne grew up in Holland, where her parents thought they could live in safety.  They were wrong.  Hitler's rule quickly reached Holland.  A letter came saying that Margot, Anne's older sister, had to leave Holland to go to a work camp, which was really a concentration camp.  Otto Frank decided to send his family into hiding in an annex above his business.  Anne loved to write and did so almost daily because 'Kitty' was her escape from the 'Secret Annex' and her roommates.  There were two families living in the Annex: Anne's family and the van Pels.  Mr. and Mrs. van Pels did not get along very well.  Anne admits that she did not much care for Peter, their son, in the first year of hiding.  Tensions were very high because the families had to stay locked in the annex without making a sound.  Food was brought to them by Miep, a family friend who was not Jewish.  She worked in the business downstairs and could easily bring food and supplies in secret.  Another Jew joined the families, Dr. Pfeffer.  He shared a room with Anne.  Anne was very private.  She poured her life into her diary and she even wrote stories to entertain her family.  Towards the end of their time in the Annex, Anne and Peter fell in love.  She finally realized she had someone she could talk to who would understand her.  Life in the annex came to an abrupt end when police stormed the building and found the families living there.  Otto, Edith, Margot, Anne, Mr. and Mrs. van Pels, Peter, and Dr. Pfeffer were sent to work camps.  Otto was the only one to survive.  Miep also survived.  Together, she and Otto created the Anne that we know today.  They commemorated her memory by publishing her diary and creating a museum.

Yours, Anne would be a suitable book for study on the Holocaust for teachers who simply do not have time to read "The Diary of Anne Frank."  This version of Anne's life also gives a well-rounded view because it presents her life as it was perceived by others.  She is typically thought of as rebellious, mature for her age, and bright.  However, many people do not get to see Anne through the eyes of her friends during her life before the war came to Holland.  In this book, we see how Anne goes from vain, snarky, and selfish to mature, intuitive, and revolutionary.  Upon reading this story in literature circles, the students will fill out a Venn diagram comparing the Anne before the war and the Anne in the Annex.  What was she like before and by the time she died?  Were any characteristics the same throughout her life?

Chapter Book #9

Author: Michael Dorris
Title:  Morning Girl
Illustrator: N/A
Readability score:  Grade 4 to Grade 6
Genre:  Fiction
Subgenre:  Historical
Theme:  Appreciate the world in which you live.
Primary and secondary characters:  Morning Girl, Star Boy, Father, Mother, She Listens, Sharp Tooth, Red Feathers
Awards:  Scott O'Dell Award
Date of Publication:  1992
Publishing company:  Hyperion Paperbacks for Children
ISBN number:  0-7868-1358-X

Morning Girl is a story told from the perspectives of Morning Girl and her brother Star Boy.  They live on a Caribbean island in the time right before Columbus comes to the New World.  Morning Girl loves the morning and daytime, while Star Boy loves the night.  Morning Girl is early to rise, early to sleep.  Star Boy sleeps all day and wanders at night.  Each child has complaints about the other and they both complain about their parents.  In some ways, this 15th century family is not so different from today's typical family.  Morning Girl feels like her brother does not belong in the family.  Around this time, Mother tells Morning Girl that she is going to have a little sister.  The next month, Mother goes away.  When she comes back some time later, she does not have the baby.  Morning Girl and Star Boy are very disappointed.  Star Boy runs away for a day and hides in the rocks because he thinks he is in trouble for forgetting to tie up the canoe.  His parents and sister look for him, but they do not find him.  He finally reveals himself to his father and all is well again.  Morning Girl becomes curious about what her face looks like.  She asks her mother to describe it.  A great storm comes up in the night and Star Boy is caught in it.  Father tries to reach him but he can't because the wind is so powerful.  Star Boy hides in a tree.  The roof of their house is blown off.  The next day, everyone on the island works to rebuild their homes and gather food.  They celebrate by having a feast.  Star Boy runs away again because he is mad at several people.  Morning Girl goes to the beach for a swim one morning and finds a group of strange people in a strange boat.  She welcomes them, but they do not speak her language.  What she does not realize is that Christopher Columbus has come to Christianize her people and take over the island.

This story could be read in literature circles as a way to supplement learning on the topics of Native Americans and the founding of the Americas.  Morning Girl and Star Boy provide a look into what it was like to be on the 'other side' of history.  I would have the students read the book during literature circles and then respond to it.  I would give the students the following prompt:  How would you feel if you saw a stranger coming to your home?  How would you respond?  Would you be kind like Morning Girl was?  Would you be scared?  Respond by writing one paragraph using complete sentences.

Picture Book #19

Author: Peter Sis

Title:  The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain

Illustrator:  Peter Sis

Readability score:  Grade 3 to Grade 5

Genre:  Non-fiction

Subgenre:  Biography

Theme:  Rising up in the face of adversity; following your dreams despite what others say.

Primary and secondary characters:  Peter, the Communists, the Beach Boys, the Beatles, Elvis Presley, 

Awards:  2008 Caldecott Honor Book

Date of Publication:  2007

Publishing company:  Frances Foster Books

ISBN number:  978-0-374-34701-7

The Wall is the story of a young boy who grew up in Czechoslovakia during the Cold War.  Peter tells his story through his secret drawings.  Communism and capitalism had divided Europe like an Iron Curtain, the Wall.  Peter was on the communist side.  His life was spent following rules and being brainwashed.  At one point during the Cold War, he thought the war would end.  He joined a band and listened to American and British music.  However, the communists took back over.  He continued to draw and hope for freedom.  Finally, in 1989, the Wall came down.

While the story gives an account of Peter Sis' life, it also gives a detailed account of the worldwide events of the Cold War.  I feel that the Cold War is not emphasized as much in the curriculum today because there was no physical fighting in the 'war.'  It was merely a power struggle between the free world and the communist world.  Many people, including Americans, lived in fear of nuclear warfare and communism.  This was the turning point in modern foreign policy.  It also seemed to be the end of all the problems leftover from World War II.  People were able to breathe again.  I feel this book would be appropriate for 5th grade students.  The Cold War is difficult to describe in some ways.  I would use this story as an example of what it felt like to live on the other side of the Wall.  Upon reading, I would have the students respond through writing with this prompt:  How would you feel if you could not do as you pleased because your government did not allow it?  What is one activity, such as drawing, that you would continue to do, even if it is against the law?

Picture Book #18

Author:  Judith St. George

Title:  So You Want to Be President?

Illustrator:  David Small

Readability score:  Grade 3 to Grade 5

Genre:  Non-fiction

Subgenre:   Informational

Theme:  Leaders can come in all shapes and sizes.

Primary and secondary characters:  41 U.S. Presidents

Awards:  Caldecott Medal 2001

Date of Publication:  2000

Publishing company:  Philomel Books

ISBN number:  0-399-23407-1

So You Want to Be President? is an informational book about America's Presidents.  In a humorous way that children would love, the book gives the pros and cons of being a President.  It also gives little known facts about past Presidents.  For example, there were six Presidents whose names were James.  Eight Presidents were born in log cabins.  The Presidents were all different.  Some were nice, some were mean.  There were good Presidents and bad Presidents.  Some had pets, played music, and danced.  In order to be a good President, one must be honest and want to serve America.  The story ends by saying that anyone can be President if they have the right heart.

This book would be great as part of a Social Studies lesson on the Presidents.  It gives a lot of unknown facts about the Presidents.  Many, I admit, I did not know.  The book is really funny.  I believe the students would enjoy reading this.  I would read the story aloud to the students.  Afterwards, I would ask each student to share with the class one thing that they learned about the Presidents when they read this book.  I would also discuss the underlying theme of the book with the students.  I believe it would be beneficial to leave this book on display somewhere in my classroom so the students can use it as a reference.  It has a list of every President up to Bill Clinton that includes the date they lived, where they were from, and what they were known for during their Presidency.  Of course, I would let the students know that there have been two other Presidents since this book was written.  

Picture Book #17

Author:  Maira Kalman

Title:  Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey

Illustrator:  Maira Kalman

Readability score:  Kindergarten to Grade 2

Genre:  Non-fiction

Subgenre:  Historical

Theme:  Everything and everyone serve a purpose, regardless of size, shape, or age.  

Primary and secondary characters:  John J. Harvey, Smokey, Bob Lenney, Tim, Huntley, Jessica, Chase, Andrew, John, Tom

Awards:  Boston Globe-Horn Book Award

Date of Publication:  2002

Publishing company:  G.P. Putnam's Sons

ISBN number:  0-399-23953-7

Fireboat is the story of a boat that served New York City for almost eighty years.  The Harvey was the best fireboat on the Hudson.  It fought fires all along the piers, until the piers were gone and its services were no longer needed.  The World Trade Center went up and the city was changing.  In 1995, the Harvey was adopted by a group of New Yorkers.  They refurbished the Harvey, but the owners were not allowed to fight fires with it... Until September 11, 2001 when terrorists attacked the WTC.  The owners of the Harvey decided they had to do something to help.  The firefighters of the city called on the Harvey to help put out the smoldering buildings.  The Harvey became a hero and won an award.  The Harvey still works today.

This story is a true story about the events of 9/11 and how the Harvey helped in the relief efforts.  Since the children who would be reading this story now were not even born when this attack occurred, I feel the story would be very appropriate in teaching students about September 11.  I would read this story to the children on or around September 11.  I would discuss the significance of this day and explain to the students how very serious it was.  There is also an important theme that I feel young children could relate to in this story.  That is:  Everything and everyone has a purpose.  Even though the Harvey was old, it still helped save lives and fight the fires.  With determination, even children can be heroes.  Not only would this book teach children about September 11, it would also help instill positive values.

Picture Book #16

Author:  Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan
Title:  Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring
Illustrator:  Brian Floca
Readability score:  Kindergarten to Grade 2
Genre:  Non-fiction
Subgenre:  Biography
Theme:  Never give up on your dreams.  Try and try again until you succeed.
Primary and secondary characters:  Martha Graham, Aaron Copeland, Isamu Noguchi, the bride, the bridegroom, dancers, the Pioneer Woman
Awards:  2011 Sibert Honor Book
Date of Publication:  2010
Publishing company: Roaring Brook Press
ISBN number:  978-1-59643-338-0

This picture book gives the true story of Martha Graham, who was a famous ballet dancer in early 20th century.  Martha tells the story through dance of a young couple who travel west.  The dance takes place in springtime in Pennsylvania.  The couple are newlywed.  Martha struggles to find the right moves to tell the story, until composer Aaron Copeland adds music.  The dance still is not complete.  Martha asks her friend Isamu to create a set.  Now the dance is complete.  After the first performance, everyone loves Appalachian Spring.  It becomes one of America's most favorite dances.

Ballet for Martha is beautifully illustrated and written.  However, the topic of dancing is very foreign to me.  I believe this story would intrigue and interest children who dance.  I do not dance so I struggled to capture the feeling portrayed in the illustrations of dancers.  In order for students who are not dancers to comprehend this story better, I would find a video of Appalachian Spring as it was performed by Martha Graham and the other characters.  Before I played the video, I would read the story aloud.  This story conveys a literary element that teachers may not emphasize enough: viewing.  The students can make connections to the story once they see the movements of the actual ballet.  Then, we can understand the feelings and emotions that Martha conveyed in her dance.

Picture book #15

Author:  Ernest Lawrence Thayer
Title:  Casey at the Bat
Illustrator:  Christopher Bing
Readability score:  Kindergarten to Grade 5
Genre:  Fiction/Poetry
Subgenre:  Historical fiction
Theme:  Baseball is a favorite American pastime.  Do not be overly confident in your abilities.
Primary and secondary characters:  Casey, Flynn, Jimmy Blake, umpire, pitcher
Awards:  2001 Caldecott Honor
Date of Publication:   2000
Publication company:  Scholastic, Inc.
ISBN number:  0-439-33676-7

Casey at the Bat takes place in 1888.  Many people have gathered to watch the Mudville nine play a game.  The outlook isn't bright until Casey comes up to bat.  He lets the first two balls fly past him, resulting in two strikes.  He tries one last time to hit the ball, but misses.  Casey lets the fans down and the feeling of disappointment is almost tangible at the end of the poem.

This story would cater more to boys.  However, I feel that this book displays a part of American history that many people do not stop to think about: entertainment.  Many people went to baseball games for fun.  It was a new sport in the late 1800s.  Many people were interested in it.  I would use this book in a as an example of American life during this time period.  I would ask the students to tell me what they like to do for fun.  Then, I would read the story aloud and engage the students in a grand conversation about baseball.  I would point out to the students how serious the fans were in the story and how disappointed and enraptured they were by the game.  Is this similar to the way we view sports today?  Is it still entertainment today?  This lesson would be a way to show the students that even in the 1800s, people enjoyed sports.  Also, I would emphasize that baseball is a truly American sport.

Picture Book # 14

Author:  Lane Smith
Title:  John, Paul, George & Ben
Illustrator:  Lane Smith
Readability score:  Kindergarten to Grade 2
Genre:  Fiction
Subgenre:  Historical fiction
Theme:  Everyone, even great leaders, begin as children.
Primary and Secondary characters:  John Hancock, Paul Revere, George Washington, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson
Awards:  2006 NY Times Best Illustrated Book
Date of Publication: 2006
Publishing company:  Hyperion Books for Children
ISBN number:  0-7868-4893-6

In America's early times, there were four young men that paved the way to greatness.  John Hancock was bold.  He had the best handwriting, but he liked to write his name really big.  Paul Revere was a loud mouth.  He liked to ring the bell in the North Church.  He became hard of hearing and had to yell every time he spoke.  He got on a lot of people's nerves when he yelled, but eventually everyone appreciated his yelling when the British came.  George was honest.  When he chopped down a cherry tree, he told his father.  Ben Franklin was clever.  He could speak so eloquently and think so deeply for a young lad.  Many people thought that he talked too much. Thomas Jefferson was independent.  He did things in his own way and to the best of his abilities, which were extensive.  These men grew up to be the Sons of Liberty and are the symbol of freedom in America.

This picture book would be a wonderful addition to a history lesson on America's beginnings as a free country.  I would incorporate this book into a lesson on the American Revolution.  I would teach the facts around this book.  For example, I would teach a lesson on each man in the story.  John Hancock would be first.  I would talk about who he was and what he did.  I would ask the students if they recognize his signature.  If they do not, I would show them a copy of the Declaration of Independence. I would explain that John Hancock penned the Declaration and also signed it.  The Declaration of Independence is now one of our country's symbols of freedom.  I would teach in this same way using the other characters.  My students can relate to this book because the characters are young as well.  There is an obvious theme to the story that I think could be inspiring to my students.  The theme is that the greatest leaders began as small children and childhood experiences shape who they are to become.  I would allow the students an opportunity to come up with the theme on their own.  Then, we could discuss how the theme relates to the story.

Chapter Book #8

Author:  Patricia Reilly Giff
Title:  Pictures of Hollis Woods
Illustrator:  N/A
Readability score:  Grade 5 to Grade 8
Genre:  Fiction
Subgenre:  Realistic fiction
Theme:  In order to love, we must be loved.  Do not run from your feelings.
Primary and secondary characters:  Hollis Woods, Josie, Izzy, Old Man, Steven, Mustard Woman, Beatrice
Awards:  Newbery Honor Book
Date of Publication:  2002
Publication company:  Scholastic, Inc.
ISBN number:  0-439-57784-5

Hollis Woods was dropped off on a Brooklyn street corner when she was not even a day old.  Ever since then she has moved from one foster home to another.  Most of the time she runs away.  The foster care services call her trouble because she skips school and runs away so often.  Through flashbacks, the reader learns that Hollis has finally found a family that she really likes, the Regans.  Izzy, Old Man, and their son Steven want Hollis to become a part of their family after she stays with them at their summer home.  During the present time, Hollis is sent to live with an aging artist named Josie.  Josie makes wooden figures.  Hollis comes to love Josie because she forgets to send Hollis to school and they go on beach trips together.  Through her drawings, Hollis describes what it was like living with the Regans on the Old Man's mountain.  She wanted to climb the mountain when she was asked to live with the Regans forever.  Steven was the closest thing to a brother she had ever had.  Back in the present, Hollis knows she is about to be taken to another foster home but she doesn't want to leave Josie.  Josie needs someone to take care of her.  Hollis decides to run away in December.  She takes Josie with her and they go to the Regan's summer home, where she spent the last summer.  No one is there, so they make themselves comfortable.  The flashbacks continue.  The last weekend of the summer,  Hollis decides to climb the mountain by herself.  She makes it to the top, but on the way down she falls.  She knows she can't make it down by herself.  Luckily, Steven knows she where she is gone.  He drives the Old Man's truck up the mountain and rescues her.  As they are driving down, he loses control of the truck in the mud and the truck flips.  Old Man and Izzy don't blame Hollis for the accident, but she knows it's her fault.  She decides to run away when she finds out Steven will be alright.  That's how she meets Josie.  At the end of the book, Steven meets Hollis walking through the snow to town.  She realizes that she belongs with the Regans.  She arranges for Josie to live with her artist friend, Beatrice.  They remain friends and Hollis finally finds her place in the world with the Regans.

This book is written in such a way that it tells two stories at once.  The author switches between the present time and the past.  I would have the students document a special time in their life the same way Hollis did.  The students would create series of pictures that tell their story.  The pictures do not have to be perfect.  The students can use whichever medium that they would like.  They could draw sketches, paint, create a collage, or use crayons.  The purpose of the activity is to allow the students to tell a story in such a way that does not use words.

Chapter Book #7

Author:  Cornelia Funke
Title:  The Thief Lord
Illustrator:  Cornelia Funke
Readability score:  Grade 6 to Grade 8
Genre:  Fiction
Subgenre:  Fantasy
Theme:  Birds of a feather flock together.  Keep family close.  Be loyal to friends.
Primary and Secondary characters:  Prosper, Bo, Hornet, Mosca, Scipio, Riccio, Victor, Ida Spavento, Dottor Massimo, Barbarossa, Renzo, Morosina, Esther Hartlieb, Max Harlieb
Awards:  2003 Mildred L. Batchelder Award, 2002  New York Times Notable Book, 2005 Young Readers' Choice Award
Date of Publication:  2000
Publication company:  Scholastic, Inc.
eISBN number:  978-0-545-41510-1

Victor Getz first heard of Prosper and Bo when their aunt and uncle, Esther and Max Harlieb, came to hire him in Venice.  Victor was a detective and Esther Harlieb was desperately searching for Bo, the younger of the two boys.  She wanted to take him in.  The boys did not want to be separated from one another, though.  They ran away to Venice, the city their mother told them was full of wonders.  Prosper and Bo befriended a group of orphan children who lived in an abandoned movie theatre.  The children, Hornet, Mosca, Riccio, and Scipio took the boys in.  Scipio was the leader and provider for the group.  The children gave him the title, Thief Lord, even though he was not much older than the others.  He was the Thief Lord because he was a thief.  He stole precious trinkets from rich homes and sold the items to a crooked man named Barbarossa.  The other children stole smaller items, like wallets and food.  This was their method of survival.  Victor began searching for the boys and happened upon Bo in St. Marks Square.  Bo, being unafraid and extremely young, told him that they lived in an abandoned movie theatre.  Meanwhile, Scipio had found a new job.  A man named the Conte wanted him to steal a wooden wing that he so desperately wanted from a lady named Ida Spavento.  He would pay Scipio a great sum of money.  The group of children decided they would all help steal the wing, but Victor spoiled their plans.  He found their hide-out one night.  The children captured him and took him prisoner.  While he was their prisoner, he told the children that he had found something out about their mysterious leader, the Thief Lord.  He was actually the son of a very wealthy, Dottor Massimo.  Dottor Massimo owned the theatre and it was from him that Scipio stole all of the valuables.  The children decided that they would still complete the job for the Conte, without Scipio.  When they go to Ida's home to steal the wing, they run into Scipio trying to steal it also.  They get caught by Ida.  The children are forced to tell her why they are stealing the wing.  In return, she tells them the story of the wing.  It once belonged to a winged lion on a merry-go-round.  The merry-go-round had special powers that would turn the old young again, but it had disappeared.  All that was left was the wing.  Ida wants to solve the mystery of the merry-go-round so she lets the children take the wing to the Conte.  They follow him to a mysterious island, but are caught.  Scipio and Prosper want to know more about the merry-go-round, so they sneak off one night to the island.  The Conte and his sister mend the broken wing so that the merry-go-round will turn them young again.  It works.  Scipio decides he will ride, too.  He becomes an adult.  Meanwhile, Bo has been taken by his aunt.  He behaves very badly and runs away.  Ida decides to take in the children and give them a home.  Scipio begins to work with Victor as a detective.

This story is a modern example of fantasy fiction.  The story takes place in Venice.  There is a map of Venice at the beginning of the book.  I would have the students use the map or a larger map of Venice to scout out the places that Prosper, Bo, and the other characters visited in the book.  Pairs of students will work together to research one place in the story.  Then, in a virtual tour, they will share the place with the class.  The places the class might visit are St. Mark's Square, the Rialto Bridge, the islands, and the Grand Canal.  This activity will help the students imagine the events in the story better as they relate to the setting.  Also, the students will become immersed in the Italian language and culture of Venice.

Chapter Book #6

Author:  Jewell Parker Rhodes
Title:  Ninth Ward
Illustrator:  N/A
Readability score:  Grade 4 to Grade 8
Genre:  Fiction
Subgenre:  Fantasy/ Realistic Fiction
Theme:  Strength and courage are key to survival.  The ones we love never really leave us.
Primary and secondary characters:  Lanesha, Mama Ya-Ya, TaShon, Ginia, Spot, Miss Johnson
Awards: Coretta Scott King Award
Date of Publication: 2010
Publishing Company:  Little, Brown, and Company
ISBN number:  978-0-316-04307-6

Ninth Ward  takes place in the Ninth Ward neighborhood in New Orleans.  This neighborhood was hit the hardest during Hurricane Katrina on August 28, 2005.  The main character, Lanesha, lives with her grandmother, Mama Ya-Ya, in the Ninth Ward.  The story begins on the Sunday before the hurricane hit.  Lanesha tells us that she was born special.  Her mother was 17 when she had Lanesha.  Mama Ya-Ya birthed Lanesha and took her in as her own granddaughter when her mother died during childbirth. Mama Ya-Ya and Lanesha share a special talent.  They see ghosts.  Lanesha sees her mother all the time.  She usually is in her bedroom.  Lanesha doesn't have many friends at school because they think it is weird that she sees ghosts.  On Sunday, they celebrate Lanesha's birthday.  The next day, Lanesha must go to school.  Mama Ya-Ya was a midwife.  The last child she birthed was TaShon, who is Lanesha's classmate.  He is very quiet.  On Tuesday, Lanesha is tutored by her teacher, Miss Johnson.  Miss Johnson believes Lanesha should be an engineer because she is good at math.  On her way home that day, Lanesha comes across some boys who are beating up TaShon and his new dog, Spot.  She stands up to them and they leave.  TaShon asks Lanesha to keep the puppy.  She takes him home and Mama Ya-Ya mysteriously already knew she was bringing him.  She has the 'sight.'  She also knows there is a storm coming before the news even announces it Tuesday night.  On Wednesday, Mama Ya-Ya is upset because of a dream she had about the coming storm.  Everyone in the neighborhood is concerned about it.  After school, Lanesha and her friend, Ginia, must go to the store to stock up on food.  Neighbors board up their windows.  By Thursday, Hurricane Katrina has become a category two  hurricane.  It is building.  Mama Ya-Ya knows it is not going to be good.  School is canceled.  Lanesha goes to school anyway to talk to Miss Johnson, who is packing her things to evacuate town.  She advises Lanesha to do the same, but she can't.  Mama Ya-Ya can't drive and they don't own a car.  Lanesha goes home to prepare the house for the storm.  Friday comes and the storm is headed directly for New Orleans.  Some people are out in the street, drinking and eating.  Saturday brings a message:  Evacuation is mandatory.  But Lanesha can't leave.  TaShon must go with his father to the Superdome. Saturday evening, Lanesha tries to talk to her ghost mother, but she doesn't respond.  Sunday has arrived and Lanesha prepares food and boards up windows.  Most of the neighbors have gone.  Mama Ya-Ya tells Lanesha to move the necessities upstairs.  She knows they must get higher.   As the night comes, so does the storm.  It hits with a fury that no one had ever witnessed before.  Lanesha, Mama Ya-Ya and Spot huddle in the bathtub all night until it passes.  The next morning, Monday, Lanesha goes outside to assess the damage.  The neighborhood is badly damaged.  TaShon comes.  He got separated with his parents at the Superdome and came back home, thinking they would find him.  As the day wears on, Mama Ya-Ya knows a flood is coming.  Lanesha, TaShon, Mama Ya-Ya and Spot move to the attic as the water begins to rise through the house.  Monday night, Mama Ya-Ya dies.  The water continues to rise until the attic is filling up.  Lanesha and TaShon break through the window and they climb to the roof with Spot.  The whole world is drowned.  They stay on the roof all night and the whole next day.  They find a rowboat and try to reach it.  Lanesha can't swim; and as she tries to reach the boat, she gets stuck under the awful Mississippi water.  Her mother saves her.  She, TaShon, and Spot make it into the boat.  They paddle through the water until a motorboat finds them.  Lanesha knows that she and TaShon will be okay now that they have help.  She knows that Mama Ya-Ya and her mother will always look after her.

This story is a very accurate description of the terrible Hurricane Katrina that ripped through New Orleans.  While the story itself is not true, many of the victims of the hurricane went through the same horrors that Lanesha did.  I feel that this book would be appropriate for a fifth grade class to read at the beginning of the school year, around the date of the hurricane.  Natural disasters are a very real part of our nation's history.  I would have the students read this book in their literature circles.  As they read, I would have them have grand conversations.  They can discuss what they think it would be like to live in New Orleans.  They can research the storm.   I would have them complete a writing assignment in which they pretend that they can talk to a deceased person, maybe a family member.  They could ask them questions, just as Lanesha asked her mother questions.  What would they say to the deceased?  Once the book has been read, the students could research the Ninth Ward.  They could do presentations on before and after shots of the neighborhood.  It would also be great if the students could create a fundraiser to send to the Hurricane Katrina Relief efforts that are still being carried out today, seven years later.  These activities will help the students understand the devastation of the storm and relate to the victims of it.

Chapter Book #5

Author:  Carl Hiaasen
Title:  Hoot
Illustrator:  N/A
Readability score:  Grade 6 to Grade 8
Genre:  Fiction
Subgenre:  Realistic Fiction
Theme:  Follow your heart.  Stand up for what you believe in.  Anyone can make a difference.
Primary and secondary characters:  Roy, Beatrice, Mullet Fingers, Officer Delinko, Curly, Dana, Mr. and Mrs. Eberhardt, Garrett,
Awards:  Newbery Honor 2003
Date of Publication:  2003
Publishing company:  Thorndike Press
ISBN number:  0-7862-5014-3

Hoot takes place in Coconut Cove, Florida.  Roy Eberhardt has just moved with his parents from Bozeman, Montana.  He hasn't made any friends in Coconut Cove.  He has, however, gained the attention of the biggest bully around, Dana Matherson.  On his way to school one morning, Dana came up behind Roy and pinned his head against the bus window.  That's when Roy saw a strange, barefoot boy running on the sidewalk as if his life depended on it.  Roy decided he would find out who he was.  On the same morning, Officer Delinko, a new cop, heads to a construction site for Mother Paula's All-American Pancake House.  Curly, the construction foreman for the project, is reporting a vandalism.  All of the survey stakes had been pulled up in the middle of the night.  Officer Delinko trips over a hole on the site.  Curly explains that burrowing owls live in them.  The next morning, Roy looks for the running boy on the bus.  He doesn't see him again until the next Friday.  At the very same moment, Dana comes and begins to strangle Roy.  Roy punches him in the nose and he takes off for the door of the bus.  He must catch up to the running boy.  He nearly runs over a girl at the door.  He chases the boy all the way to a golf course, where he gets knocked out by a golf ball.  At school, the principal blames him for punching Dana and he gets dismissed from the bus.  At lunch that day, a big soccer girl named Beatrice threatens Roy and tells him to mind his own business.  Little did he know that the running boy was Beatrice's brother.  Meanwhile, more mysterious things happen at the construction site.  Roy finally meets the barefoot boy when he goes to his campsite.  The boy has no home and no name.  Officer Delinko continues to work on solving the vandalism case, which has made it to the media.  Beatrice finally tells Roy that the running boy is his brother, Mullet Fingers.  Mullet Fingers is trying to save the owls on the construction site by sabotaging the construction equipment.  Roy and Beatrice begin to help.  With the help of his dad, Roy discovers that Mother Paula's did not have the permit to build on the property because the owls are protected by Florida's environmental laws.  On the day of the groundbreaking ceremony, Roy and his friends bring to light the information needed to stop the building of the Pancake House.  The owls are saved and protected by an Environmental Impact Statement.  Roy, Beatrice, and Mullet Fingers are commended throughout the nation for their heroic deeds to save the owls.

This story is an example of how following your heart can pay off.  There are several activities that I could assign to my students upon reading the book.  One activity that I would assign would be a research project in which groups of students work together to find local endangered species or animals in Tennessee that are protected under Environmental Impact Statements or similar laws.  It is important that the children are aware of the environment in which we live.  I would have another group work on a presentation about the burrowing owls in the story.  They are real owls.  I would have the students also add the other animals in the book to the presentation (alligators, mullet fish, and water moccasins).  I would also play the movie, which is based on the book.  The students would complete a writing activity in which they compare and contrast the book and the movie.  They would also answer questions like, "Did the movie follow the book closely? How so?"  "How would you have made the movie if you were the movie director?"

Picture Book #13

Author:  Rafe Martin

Title:  The Rough-Face Girl

Illustrator:  David Shannon

Readability score:  Grade 3 to Grade 5

Genre:  Fiction

Subgenre:  Legend

Theme:  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  Beauty can be found inside and out.

Primary and secondary characters:  Invisible Being, Sister, Rough-Face Girl

Awards:  IRA Teacher's Choice Award

Date of Publication:  1992

Publishing Company:  The Putnam & Grosset Group

ISBN number:  0-698-11626-7

The Rough-Face Girl is the Algonquin Indian's Cinderella story.  In a village on the shores of Lake Ontario, there lived a girl who had a poor father and two older sisters who were very cruel to her.  They made her keep the fire going.  In time, her face, hands, arms, and hair had become badly burnt and scarred.  One day, the two older sisters decided that they would marry the Invisible Being, who lived nearby.  No one had ever seen him before.  The girls dressed in fine clothing and marched through the village to the Invisible Being's wigwam.  The Invisible Being's sister was waiting outside for them when they arrived.  They told her they wanted to marry the Invisible Being.  The sister asked them if they had seen the Invisible Being.  They lied and said they had.  She asked them if they knew what his bow and sled was made of.  They failed to answer so they were sent home.  The next day, the Rough-Face Girl asked her father for fine clothes so that she could marry the Invisible Being, but he had nothing but old shells and worn shoes.  She took these things and dressed as best as she could.  As she went through the village, all the people laughed and made fun of her.  As she walked to the Invisible Being's wigwam, she saw all the beautiful things of the earth.  When she arrived at the lakeshore, the sister was waiting for her.  She asked Rough-Face Girl why she had come.  When she replied, the sister asked her what the Invisible Being's bow was made of.  Rough-Face Girl answered that it is the curve of the rainbow.  Then, the sister asked what the runner of his sled was made of.  The Rough-Face Girl answered that it was made of the Milky Way.  She answered correctly.  The sister brought her to her brother, the Invisible Being.  He said that she was beautiful.  The sister gave her the finest clothes and told her to bathe in the lake.  As she bathed, her skin and hair was transformed to its former beauty.  Then, the Rough-Face Girl and the Invisible Being were married.  They lived happily ever after.

This story is a version of the Cinderella story as told by the Algonquin Indians.  I could incorporate this book into a compare and contrast lesson.  I would read this story and another Cinderella story.  We would have a short discussion about each, noting specific elements of the plot. The students would then compare the two stories by creating a Venn diagram.

Picture Book #12

Author:  Paul Goble

Title:  The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses

Illustrator:  Paul Goble

Readability score:  Grade 3 to Grade 5

Genre:  Fiction

Subgenre:  Legend

Theme:  Freedom is happiness.  

Primary and secondary characters:  The girl who loves wild horses

Awards:  Caldecott

Date of Publication:  1992

Publishing Company:  Scholastic, Inc.

ISBN number:  0-590-46514-7

The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses is about a girl who loved the horses that lived near her village.  She fed them, cared for them, and spoke to them.  She spent most of her time with the horses.  One day, she fell asleep next to the grazing herd of horses.  While she was sleeping, a storm came up.  She woke to lightning flashing.  The horses began to run.  She climbed on to a horse's back and the herd took off.  She could not stop them or jump off.  They ran far away from home and the storm.  The next morning the girl woke up to the sound of a stallion neighing.  He told her that she could live with the horses.  Even though her people looked for her, the girl lived with the horses.  A year later, she was brought home.  She was happy to see her family, but she longed to be with the horses.  Her parents let her go back.  Every year, she would bring her parents a foal until one year she did not return.   It is said that she became a beautiful mare that galloped beside the great stallion.

This story is an example of Native American folklore.  Before reading the book aloud to my students, I would initiate a conversation about the cover of the book and what the students can predict about the book.  I would explain to the students that Native Americans have a close relationship with nature.   I would ask the students which aspect of nature they believe this book is about.  I would ask them why they think horses are so important to their culture.  I would ask them if they have ever seen or ridden a horse before.  I would then have them share their experiences with the class. Then, I would read the book aloud.