The Circuit by Francisco Jimenez (1997)
I was interested in this book back during the Spring '11 semester in my Language and learning class. The novel tells the story of the author when he was a little boy, immigrating from Mexico to California and working and living in a migrant camp. He and his family traveled a lot, to wherever the produce was in season-from grapes to asparagus to cotton. I was very interested in the book the whole time, and read it in one evening. I have always been interested in Hispanic culture. I also read Esperanza Rising which tells the true story of the author's grandmother immigrating from Mexico to California and also working the migrant camps, and I enjoyed that book a lot as well.
This book would be great to have for upper-elementary to middle school/junior high children. I think I would have students read this on their own and do a book talk presentation to classmates. Hopefully other students would read it. Another activity I think would be fun is to read the book together as a class, and then have a mini-lesson about what the migrant camps were like. I think it's important for students to learn about them because we should know where most of our fruit and vegetable produce comes from. It comes from the hard work of these migrant workers. I really really liked this book-a great read and great for students to get to know-both the character and migrant camps.
Celebrating Families by Rosmarie Hausherr (1997)
I included this book in my text set and think it's just great! It's a non-fiction photo book, fourteen children being featured and showing their families. I used this to represent different kinds of families. This book includes "nuclear" families, being both small and large, divorced families, one-parent families, a gay family, a foster family, a family living in a co-housing community, a family living with their grandmother, a family with one parent in prison, etc. This book has a lot of diversity, which makes it great. Plus, there are lots of photos showing the children's real families.
I would use this book in my classroom for a read-aloud and also do a couple activities with. One is we could have a discussion following reading the book asking students what they learned, if any of these kinds of families are new to them. Another activity would be to have students make their own family tree, as there is an example of a family tree at the back of the book. Some students may not have made a family tree before, so this would be a good opportunity. Another activity would be, of course, to have students bring a photo of their own family and briefly describe them. We would then post these pictures and descriptions around the classroom. Handy book to have to show the diversity of families.
Boundless Grace by Mary Hoffman and illustrated by Caroline Binch (1995)
I really enjoyed this picture book! This was included in my text set about divorce/separation and remarriage/blended family. The are other Grace books, and this one tells the story of Grace who lives with her mother and nana in the States. She barely remembers her father, whom she only knew as a little girl. When she gets an invitation to visit him and his new wife and children in Africa, she feels excited but yet strange. She wonders if he will still love her, and if he will be different. Her and her nana voyage to Africa to see for themselves.
Grace experiences the feelings common with children going through this family scenario-confusion, hurt, anger, trust, appreciation, compassion, and love. She likes her new siblings right away, but has a hard time adjusting to having a stepmother. After accepting her new family, she is still confused at having two homes. With advice from her nana, she learns that families are what you make them, and she comes to appreciate her family life.
I would definitely use this in my classroom, and for a text set. The illustrations are so realistic and colorful. They show the story instead of tell it. An activity that I think would be fun for this book is what I call "Feelings." During a read-aloud with this book, I would have a chart ready, and the students and I would record what feelings Grace experiences, when she does, why she does, and how she comes to a resolution. Showing students the different feelings and that it's normal to have a new blended family is important, as at least half of students nowadays are in this situation. For students who aren't, they can have more of an understanding of what their friend(s) are going through. Good story!
Priscilla Twice by Judith Caseley (1995)
This book I also included in my text set. It tells of a little girl who finds out her parents are getting divorced. Being a child of divorced parents, I could relate to this book. She goes through feelings of confusion, anger, frustration, acceptance, and love. I really like the illustrations in this book-they start before the story begins, showing Priscilla and the conflict going on in her life. I really like this feature in picture books for my classroom.
I think this book would be great for a read-aloud. I plan to read both a divorce/separation picture book (being this one) and a remarriage/new family picture book (being Do You Sing Twinkle? A Story About Remarriage and New Family by Sandra Levins-see previous post) to introduce my text set. As an activity, I think it would also be good to do "Feelings" (see above entry). Like Grace dealing with a blended family, Priscilla is dealing with her parents' divorce and is experiencing many different emotions. It's important to give a positive message to students struggling with this, and for their friends to understand what they're going through and how to be supportive (Priscilla also has a friend in the book with her a lot that helps her)!
I Don't Want to Talk About It by Jeanie Franz Ransom and illustrated by Kathryn Kunz Finney (2000)
This book I also included in my text set, which deals with a little girl going through the news of her parents' divorce. This book highlights the common stages of feelings associated with this family situation. It's interesting too because the author/illustrator uses symbolism. For example, she wishes she were an elephant to barge into her parents' room when they were yelling at each other, and a bird to fly away from the situation. The illustrations are colorful and bright.
This book would be great to act out. Since there are many animals featured with the feeling she has, one student could act out the emotion, and the other the animal, etc. The "Feelings" activity could also be applied. Like the other books, this book has the same overall message: even if these changes happen in your family, your parents still love you a lot. A positive message book to children who are experiencing this and who aren't but can help and understand their friend(s).
Two Homes by Claire Masurel and illustrated by Katy MacDonald Denton (2001)
This book I also included in my text set. It shows a little boy named Alex who shows the two homes he lives at, with his mommy and daddy. I like that he has enthusiasm and a positive attitude, which is a good message for students in this situation. The pictures are inviting, with a lot of detail. For example, his father lives by the beach and his mother lives in a busy city (reminds me of Europe) and the illustrator included a lot of detail in both of these settings. I like that this book is so well illustrated. The text is also simple with shorter sentences, so this would be a good book for early readers.
I would use this book for early readers, if having students at this age. I would also read this book aloud, and have a class discussion about how Alex looks at the bright side of things. If willing to share, students who have two homes could tell about their lives at each home. Or, students could make their own picture book showing their homes. Students with one home could still do this activity, just showing their home.
The Family Book by Todd Parr (2003)
This is a brightly illustrated with bold colored picture book. I used this book in my text set to represent different kinds of families, and that they are all filled with love. This book shows different kinds of families from those that are "nuclear", look the same, look different, some adopt, some have extended family, some have one parent, and some have two same gender parents.
I think this would be a good book to do an activity about the students' families. We would read this book as a read-aloud, and then have a discussion about the different kinds of families. I would ask students if they have learned of any new types of families from reading this book. I would then have students do a take-home assignment where they draw a picture of them with their family and indicate their relationship to the student.
Mountain Wedding by Faye Gibbons and illustrated by Ted Rand
This is a book I included in my text set regarding remarriage/blended family. The story is set in where the author grew up, in Northern Georgia in the mountains. A mother with five children marries a father with seven children. During the wedding, the children make it very chaotic by making faces at each other and fighting. The mules then get loose and all the animals are running around with the family's belongings on top of the wagon. The whole family than fleas to grab all their belongings-no matter if it's the Longs or the Searcys. At last they are united.
I really like the illustrations in this book-they start to tell the story before the text begins, which I really like in a picture book! Students with stepsiblings will likely relate to this book, even if their family isn't quite this large! The illustrations are done in watercolor and are realistic. I think this would be a good book to do the activity "Feelings" with, since the children tease each other at first and then like each other.
Yucky Worms by Vivian French and illustrated by Jessica Ahlberg
I enjoyed listening and then reading through this picture book! It was cute and fun how the little boy thought worms were so gross, and then upon learning lots about them from his grandma he came to like worms and call them his "friends." As I was looking through the pages, I couldn't help but notice the illustrations-how colorful they are and the realistic-looking way the worms are drawn.
This would be a good book for read-aloud, because the topic presents a fun way to read the book, talking about "yucky" worms. This book I think would also be a great book to do a cross-curricular activity with! I remember working with earthworms and mealworms in 3rd/4th grade science class. If the students were at least in 3rd grade, and since this book deals with earthworms, I think it would be fun to do a science project where each student has their own worm and they have to feed it and write observations about it, using writing skills, which makes it even more cross-curricular.
Where in the Wild? More Camouflaged Animals Concealed...and Revealed by David M. Schwartz and Yael Schy and photos by Dwight Kuhn (2007)
I really enjoyed this book! This book is definitely a fun one to have in the classroom. It introduces students to science and about "wild" animals. Each page has one (or more on some pages) camouflaged into the nature scene, and it is the reader's job to find the animal. If they think they've found it or give up, they can turn the page and see where the animals are at. Along with this is a lot of facts about the animals. I thought this was super cool! I hadn't heard of a lot of the animals before, either.
A fun activity I think to do would be to read this book aloud and have turn book so that all students can see it and tell them to be quiet and raise their hand when they see it. Once most students notice, flip the page to show them, and read off facts about the animal. Another activity I think would be fun is for students to make their own "look and find" books! This is the second edition of this book, there is also another book. After reading both of these books, students will have gained knowledge of certain animals that can camouflage well. With this information, they could draw their own pictures and hid the animals, and students can challenge each other.
The Lost Lake by Allen Say (1989)
I read this book during a fellow student's presentation of their text set about environmental awareness. The book tells a nice story of a boy who visits his father, and goes on a surprise trip planned by his father. They take hiking and camping supplies, and go to the mountains and look for a lake. After stumbling on a really nice lake, the father is disappointed because there are lots of people, thus, not the lost lake. Then, eventually, after camping, they find the lost, beautiful, peaceful, serene lake-and they have it all to themselves! It was a nice adventure for father and son to share.
I really liked the illustrations in this book! They looked smooth and were realistic. The mountains, lakes, and trees were drawn beautifully. While I was looking at this book, I actually thought I could use it for my text set, as well, as one of my subtopics was divorce/separation. It shows their bond and the activities they can do with each other. I think this book would be a good activity for students to write a little story about activities they like to do when they're one-on-one with one of their parents. Another activity would be is of course, talk about the beauty of earth untouched by pollution, and why it's important to take care of the environment to achieve this.
Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes (2000)
I really enjoyed doing a Reader's Theater with this book! It was so funny, even though there is no reason for this little girl to worry so much! She worried about the most trivial things! The illustrations were fun, and the pages decorated a lot with color. The author illustrates a "worried look" well on Wemberly's face. The names of some of the characters made my group and I laugh out loud, and when the mother and father tell her not to worry and the grandmother repeats, "Worry worry worry. Too much worry." Funny book!
I think this book would be good to do a Reader's Theater with, like we did in children's literature class. I also think it would be a good opportunity to do a mini-lesson about worrying. What it is, why we do it, and why we really shouldn't. This would be cross-curricular, as it deals with our health (stress). Even though the book is presented in a funny way, it teaches a good lesson about why we shouldn't let worrying get to us.
The Giver by Lois Lowry (1993)
I really enjoyed this novel-though at first I thought it was really weird. This is a unique novel aimed for middle school students about a "community" or society that is all about Sameness. Though you don't realize it until later in the book, the oddities of the community are apparent at the beginning of the book. I knew this upon reading about all the rules, of only having one boy and one girl child, of "The Pill", of "release", etc.
I thought it was interesting how all the people had their own "jobs" in the community and it was chosen for them. Sounds like a community with no choice, not seeing colors, not having feelings or knowing love, etc. I was so glad at the end of the book that Jonas got out of there with Gabe-and hopefully left some of his memories so the community could recoop. Though the community was safe because nothing unusual happened, not having feelings kind of beats the purpose of life. I think this story was so interesting and praise Lowry for her imagination in creating this kind of futuristic-seeming society. I was frustrated and saddened at the concept of release, and joyful when Jonas experienced the memories and learned the warmth (and struggles) from them.
Awesome book, would use this in the classroom (for older students-upper elementary to middle school) for them to read, would have the class read it as a whole like we did and discuss it. It's no wonder it's a Newberry Medal winner! There are many extension activites that could come from this novel, similar to what we did in this children's literature class. I definitely think it would be interesting to have students do the "sketch" responses from each of the chapters, and to see if they do use color or just black and white when making their sketch. Another activity I think would be great is for students to write a question they have about the novel, and be in small groups and have the other students discuss it except for them. During my discussion with classmates, we all had so many questions about this community that I think this activity would be great to do. As one student suggested, too, I think it would be interesting for students to read this book every two years for a few grade levels, and see what they get from this book each time, as I think more observations would be made each time. Another activity I think would be good to do is have students keep a journal throughout reading the book of how they feel, since the point of view is pretty solitary (being of Jonas'). This book has so many tools to use in the classroom!
The Misfits by James Howe (2001)
I enjoyed reading this novel by James Howe aimed towards middle school students. The book tells of the "Gang of Five" a.k.a. Four, with Bobby, Skeezie, Addie, and Joe. The students are all "misfits" at school during those terrible, awkward, junior high days for different reasons: Bobby because he's chubby, Skeezie because he's a bit unkept, Addie because she's ridiculously tall and ridiculously smart, and Joe because he's gay. All of the teenyboppers meet when they're little children and are good buddies. They meet for sodas and snacks once a week and write out all their conversations about what they're doing at school. From refusing to say the Pledge of Allegience to running for president/vice president, one of the students' main tasks is about popularity vs. principle. Within their story, the students send out a good message and accomplish a great feat in the junior high/middle school setting.
I would use this book in my classroom (if I was an upper-elementary/middle school/junior high teacher). This book sends a good message about bullying and people who are "different." I think this is important for teachers, because we are going to have students in all shapes, sizes, beliefs, and values and it's important for all students to feel accepted and welcomed. Bullying is also such an issue-and this book does a good job addressing it. Though I wasn't really impressed by the book, I believe it should be read aloud because it does cover some topics that students will likely have questions about. The word "faggot" is also used. Some students with these characteristics might feel bad because they might feel that being chubby, for example, is being stereotyped. This is why I think the book should be read-aloud. For a mini-lesson, I think it would be great to teach about bullying: what it is, why it happens, and asking students why it's important to prevent it and what they can do to help. I think it would then be great to make our own class chart (sort of like making our own class rules) about being anti-bullying. For response activities, I think I would have students write a short response paper telling me how they handled the book, since it can be touchy to some students. I think this would be a good way to ask students for suggestions on what to do with this book. Another activity I got from what we did in children's literature class: have students bring an object that they think represents the book. I just thought this was so interesting to see what everyone came up with and their reasoning. I think this book in particular is a good opportunity for me to learn from the students.
Ruby Lu, Empress of Everything by Lenore Look and illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf (2006)
This is a cute series book that I hadn't heard of until browsing it in class on Wednesday 05/25. The story tells of Ruby who has a baby brother and an immigrant cousin "Flying Duck" from China. Flying Duck is deaf and doesn't speak English. Ruby has her ups and downs with her cousin, but overall loves being her "Smile Buddy" at school, friend, and cousin.
Both Ruby and Flying Duck learn things from each other, such as saving her little brothers life to taking a reading glasses test. Ruby excels in school until she becomes distracted and gets notification from her principal. Ruby gets ready for third grade excitedly. There are illustrations throughout the book showing Ruby and the other characters, which I think will keep students engaged, especially if they are just starting to read chapter books.
I would use this book in my classroom by making small groups of students and assigning them each a book. One of the groups would get to read this book! The reason I choose the book for this reason is it teaches a good lesson about immigration! After the small group reads this book, they could respond to it by either making a collage/poster, a skit, and/or a fact chart about immigration. They would get their information by researching general information about immigration and what they learned from the book to teach the whole class what they learned about this topic. This book is actually a great opportunity for cross-curricular! Add other cultures/backgrounds...plus we all immigrated at some point to America. A good lesson to share. After this activity, I would keep the book on my shelf for students to read during their free read time.
First Up - I'll Be There by Ann Stott (2011)
Awww! This book is sooo cute. This is a recently published book about a little boy who asks his mother questions about what she did for him and if she was there when he was growing up. The mother assures him that yes-she was there-reading him stories, feeding him his bottle, etc. He then asks her, "When I'm bigger will you still be there?" and she assures him that yes, she will always be there.
Illustrations are simple but tell a story and reflect emotions. When the little boy is younger and playing outside, you can tell his joyfulness and adventure from his eyes. When the mother is changing the little boy as a baby, you can see the tenderness and care in her face. Cute family book, would keep this in my classroom and for a read-aloud, especially for younger elementary-aged children. This would be a good book to have students draw a picture of their parent(s) and write on it what they appreciate their parent(s) do(es) for them. Reminding students to appreciate the care their parent(s) give them is a good lesson.
Next up - Do You Sing Twinkle? A Story About Remarriage and New Family by Sandra Levins and illustrated by Bryan Langdo (2010)
This is a recently published book as well telling of the common new family structure with remarriage. I enjoyed this book-it's a cute story about two brothers who are adjusting to their mom's remarriage and the addition of two stepsisters. They don't see their mom as often and miss her, but the older brother takes his frustration out in the form of anger. He misses the bedtime song "Twinkle" his mom used to sing to his brother and him, and imagines her singing it to her new stepdaughters. It's a cute, loving family story.
I immediately grabbed this book because books about this topic interest me as my boyfriend has a daughter, and her mother has remarried and is expecting a child. Thus, she is balancing out her two homes with her mother, stepfather, and almost baby sister, and with her father and I. I would definitely have this book in my classroom and for read-aloud, because combined families are becoming more common, and it's important to send a positive message for these children.
The illustrations are well done in this book, and start to tell the story before the text begins, which I love. I prefer to have these picture books in my classroom. The illustrations show simultaneous events, for example when the boys are talking to their mother on the phone, it shows both of them in their different places. A couple activities I think would be fun to do as a response is an activity I call "Feelings" and for students to sing a song, since "Twinkle" is a song the mother sings to her children. For "Feelings" we would go through the book together as a read-aloud, and we would record what feelings he experiences, when he has them, why he has them, and how he came to a resolution. This book is awesome!
Next up - Big Sister, Little Sister by LeUyen Pham (2005)
This is a cute "realistic fiction" book that was presented by classmates. It's also cute because the lady who wrote it is the "little sister" and has a "big sister" she based the story off of. It shows how the little sister looks up to the big sister, and the big sister watches out for her and teaches her things.
I grabbed this book right away because as stated, my boyfriend's daughter is going to be a big sister as her mother is expecting a baby girl. I would use this in my classroom for read aloud and for students to look at, as I feel sibling books are important. Giving a positive reflection of the relationship between siblings and their roles is needed.
The illustrations are simple but cute, showing a lot of action which represents the sisters doing a lot of things together. I think this would be a good book to have students respond to it by writing a brief response (1/2 page to 1 page) of the positive traits of their sibling(s) and what they appreciate of them. For students with no siblings, I would have them write a response of if they would like a sibling, and if so what they would like from having a sibling relationship.
Next Up - Sky Magic selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins and illustrations by Mariusz (2009)
This is a neat composition of poems all regarding the sky-poems about sunrises, sunsets, the sun, the moon, etc. This is one of the books I chose to share for children's poetry. The illustrations are all beautiful with rich, almost-soothing colors. I would read these poems aloud to my students, especially when we do the poetry unit!
Another activity I think would be fun is along with the poetry unit, is have students write their own poem about anything regarding the sky. This activity would be made cross-curricular by incorporating art: students could draw and then paint with watercolors how they envision the aspect of the sky they're writing a poem about. Then, they could write over their painting with a light paint-color, or write it on white paper and cut out the words and place it on the paper. We would then hang them all around the room for other students to see.
Next up - Poems For The Very Young selected by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Bob Graham (1993)
This is a nice book full of poems for young children, as stated. I really like the front cover how there is a cute whale, as well, haha. The borders and illustrations of the book are cute, and like the other poetry book I shared, I would use this in my classroom and for read-aloud, and o'course for the poetry unit!
These poems are mostly short, so I think a fun activity to do would be to have students sit in a large circle. We would then take turns each reading a poem from the book. In this way, a lot of different poems could be read. As an extension activity, I would ask students to write a poem about their family, which would be a neat topic.
And Finally - Olivia by Ian Falconer (2000)
This is a cute, simple book about a girl piglet, yet also tells a good story about her day. Whether having a fun time during dress-up, getting ready for the day, going to the beach, going to the museum, taking a nap, etc. she is presented as "This is Olivia. She is good at lots of things." This is actually a series book, there being other books such as Olivia Goes to Venice and Olivia Saves the Circus.
The illustrations are done simply in just black, white, and red-though they are bold and show the story well. The illustrations start before the text begins, which I really like in a picture book. They also portray Olivia's actions and how she feels about them. This would be a good book for read-aloud, and for an extension activity I think it would be fun to have students in small groups afterwards. We would then do the activity where the student each writes a question they have about Olivia, and all the other students discuss it but them. Olivia is a unique and insightful character to observe. After reading this book, I would get the other Olivia books for students to look at when they have free reading time.
