Sample Book Review
Leo Lionni's Frederick would be useful in a discussion on giftedness with kindergarten through second grade learners. The book's main character is a field mouse named Frederick. Much to the chagrin of his fellow field mice, Frederick ponders nature while they gather supplies for the winter. When asked what he is doing, Frederick tells them he is gathering sun, colors, and words for the winter. (Lionni does a good job of portraying Frederick as a loner by placing him off to the side during most of the book while the other mice work or cavort.) Eventually, the long, cold days make the mice miserable. It is then that Frederick infuses the bleak winter with words, phrases, and poetry that help the mice envision brighter days. And thus, the rest of the mice come to appreciate Frederick. Although even I, as an adult, found Frederick kind of annoying at the beginning of the story because he didn't appear to be doing his share, the book does a good job of highlighting individuality and appreciation for an artistic nature.
During the first reading of the book, I would stop at various points prior to book's climax to discuss thoughts and feelings from Frederick's POV, as well as those of the other mice. Prior to reading the ending, I would also ask the children what they thought Frederick was doing and would ask them to make predictions for the story's ending. After finishing the story, I would ask if Frederick worked in preparation for the winter and would also ask the kids whether or not they felt his work was important. I would lead the children in discussion of what it means to be unique and how it is sometimes very difficult to go against what everyone else is doing. Vocabulary that comes to mind after reading this story includes: unique, talent, community, responsibility. This story lends itself very well to acting out various scenes from the book either by the children themselves or by having the children make some kind of simple puppet. I might have the children create their own original dialogue for a make believe scene not included in the book that highlights Frederick's feelings of being different, some of his community's angst at him for not doing his job, and some additional scenes that could be added to the book once the mice came to understand Frederick's talent. I might also have children look for examples of art or culture that they feel enrich their lives or lift their spirits. They could bring in samples of music, images from magazines, etc. 
17 comments:
Roald Dahl’s "Matilda" is one of my favorite books. I used to read it to my third graders when I taught Reading Language Arts and they loved it! I also find this book appropriate for fourth grade, due to the rich vocabulary it contains and the delightful story that can be used and adapted in so many different activities and teach numerous skills to get those readers and writers eager to learn and think critically! In "Matilda", we see how the main character pursues her passion for reading and learning, despite being completely neglected by her parents, who are also involved in illegal businesses that Matilda disapproves of. "Matilda" is a perfect example of determination, perseverance and righteousness. It is easy to fall in love with this book and its creative, out of the box, main character, whose wittiness and charisma are captivating.
"Matilda" is a very rich piece of literature, which can be used for a plethora of learning activities. Some topics that go with the book are: people’s rights (the right to grow up in a safe environment, the right to education, etc.), character analysis, character traits, vocabulary, duties and responsibilities, literary elements and genres, etc. To foster student discussion, the students can be asked to put themselves in Matilda’s shoes and write about how they would react to certain situations such as: their parents not cooking for them, them being alone at home (stranger danger), feeling neglected by their parents. They could also have a discussion about Ms. Honey, Matilda’s teacher, and all the other characters in the story. For extension activities, the students could write a summary of the book and illustrate it, write the next chapter of the book and do Reader’s Theatre and write the script themselves or get it from the book.
-E. Karam
Amazing Grace
By Mary Hoffman & Caroline Binch
I chose to read Amazing Grace because I was told by several teachers that it is a desirable book. It’s a piece of literature for K-6. The book is about a little girl named Grace who loves stories and liked people who told stories. Grace was an actor. In the book, she acted out adventure stories and fairy tales. Grace played all the parts herself. Some of the parts Grace played was pretending to be a soldier, a spider named Anansi, exploring for a lost kingdom, a parrot with a peg leg, an Indian named Hiawatha, and a jungle girl. One day Grace’s teacher said that she needs someone to do Peter Pan for a play. Grace became excited and told her teacher that she wanted to be Peter Pan. Her teacher replied “ you can’t be Peter…that’s a boy. At the end, Grace played the character Peter.
Themes that might arise after students read the book Amazing Grace is that you can be whatever you want to be. We know this because we learned that whatever you enjoy doing, you will be great at it. In a book report, you could state that one theme for Amazing Grace is that your imagination could take you places that you haven’t gone before. We could also say the theme was about being different characters. Guiding questions : Looking at the cover of the book, what other character(s) do you think is in the story? Do you think that you could act out some of the characters that Grace did? Lastly, do you think you would have audition for the part of Peter Pan once your teacher told you that it was for the opposite sex? Extension activities : role play and rewrite the book using a different setting or nationality.
regina finney / 3rd grade
OOOPS! By Suzie Kline is a children’s story for all ages. It focuses on the physical trials of being an awkward and uncoordinated school-aged girl. The not-so well-balanced little girl finds herself in a lot of trouble throughout her daily routines. I chose this book for all of my students who are not able to do simple jump –n-jacks, or exercises. I come across several students, girls and boys who are not athletic, and cringe at the sight of daily exercises. This Suzy Kline story addresses those kids who need just a little time to get their footwork down before they blossom into their own. Ultimately, the nameless main character reveals that she is not the only clumsy person in her family. Her mother, father, brother and even her cat seems to stumble around the house.
This book is a great first of the year book to read to all of my class. OOOPS!, can help encourage all of my students, and show them that they are not alone in not being awkward and uncoordinated. Guiding questions and Thinking Maps could be used to facilitate the reading and comprehension. Then on Friday we could have Awkward Day, and the students could be as uncoordinated as they like, without any judgments being passed. EG/PE
I chose the book “Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse” by Kevin Henkes. Henkes is one of my favorite authors because many of our young students can relate to the problems and feelings his characters overcome in every story. This book is ideal for K-2, but could be used in any grade. Lilly loves school and everything about it, but she especially loves her teacher, Mr. Slinger. That is until the day that she gets in trouble for not following directions. Liliy takes out her anger by writing an ugly note about him and leaving it in his book bag. She feels very guilty about it and tries to figure out the best way to apologize and make it up to him. She ends up writing him a story, drawing him a picture, writing him a note, giving him snacks, and ultimately deciding she wants to be a teacher when she grows up…along with a few other things.
Like most of Henkes’ books, “Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse” is filled with various opportunities to teach many different themes and activities. For example, children could be taught coin recognition, coin counting, why schools have rules, how to apologize and make amends when they do something wrong, how to write a story and/or a friendly letter, make their own purple plastic purses and discuss what goes in a purse, or turn the book into a play to perform in class. It’s also great for teaching predictions, sequence, main idea and details, and summarization.
-C. Cordero
"The Art Lesson" by Tomie dePaola (PK-5) is essentially an autobiography which narrates how dePaola (as a child) always knew that he wanted to be an artist. Unfortunately when Tomie goes to his first art lesson, his teacher asks the students to copy the same image. Tomie knows that real artists use their imagination and so he asks the teacher if he can draw something different. Tomie displays several characteristics of creative people including: willingness to take risks, perserverance to task, and curiosity. Although Tomie is brave enough to question the authority of his teacher when he asks to do something different, I wonder what would have happened to Tomie if he did not. I chose this book because I feel like it clearly illustrates the importance of differentiated instruction for all students, not only gifted students. Teachers need to be willing to be flexible and provide a variety of opportunities for students to learn differently and to express what they have learned.
While this book would be great to use within the art classroom, I also think it has implications for the general education classroom. Throughout the book, I would ask the students if they think Tomie should have questioned his teacher (Why or why not?) After reading this book, students can discuss what careers that they would like to pursue and what steps they would need to take towards these goals. Teachers can read about other artists and students can do research about these people and the artwork they created. Since dePaola’s grandparents are Irish and Italian, students can also investigate about their own cultural heritage. Students can choose from a menu of nontraditional products to present their research.
-KM (LIB)
Peter Reynolds’ “Ish” is a book I came upon this school year for the first time. Coincidently, we read another of his stories in our Senderos (Journeys) book just a few weeks ago with a similar theme, “The Dot”, both ideal for ages 5 and up. I chose this book because the talented character in this story gives up on her talent based on someone’s comment and for that same reason she picks renews her interest in art. Ramon gives up on his drawing interest after his older brother makes fun of his pictures. However,, his younger sister makes him realize that he is indeed an artist by praising and displaying his art in her room. She opens his eyes and gives him the confidence he needed to continue with his passion.
Themes and topics that arise with this book are being different, bullying, acceptance, friendship, positive feedback, likes/ dislikes, character traits (respectful and caring), and being of good character. Other book discussions and topics with this book are explored through thinking maps or language literacy charts could be comparing/ contrasting, problem/ solution, cause/ effect, writing letters, persuasion, adjectives, difference of opinions, perseverance, and support. Guiding questions used to foster discussions prior to reading the book are “What would you tell someone who is giving up on their dream?”, “What if we gave up riding a bicycle, reading, etc?”, “Describe and compare the 3 main characters of the story.”, “Does the story remind you of something/ someone?”. Some extensions were “What is going to happen after the end of this story?”, “Write a persuasive letter to one of the characters.”, “What are some of the effects of Ramon continuing his passion?” This book has a wonderful theme of perseverance and how support and confidence are needed to ensure everyone explores the potential of talent and/or creativity.
L.C.-(1A)
Jump! From the Life of Michael Jordan is a biography written and illustrated by Floyd Cooper. This book would be useful in a discussion for first through fifth grade learners. The main character of this book is a boy named Michael Jordan who wants to be like his older brother. No matter how hard he tries, his brother is always quicker and step ahead of him. Michael is determined and works harder to be like his brother. His hard work pays off and was noticed by basketball scouts. Today Michael Jordan is a legend. He would not be able to accomplish this achievement without his dedication and hard work to get better with his talent.
I have noticed that my boys are not as much interested in reading as my girls are. Students are especially not interested in non-fiction books. This book is a great non-fiction and catches interest of boys because it involves sports. This reading will create discussions on connections students make with their own struggles. One great activity to do with students is writing. Students will be able to write about their own experiences and discuss how they overcame their struggle. They can also create a storytelling media with skits. This book is a great example for students to strive and improve their talent. fc
Leo the Late Bloomer is written by Robert Kraus and illustrated by Jose Aruego. This is a great book for prek-1st grade. The main character is Leo who is behind in reading, writing, drawing, eating neatly and speaking. Leo’s father becomes concerned, but Leo’s mother knows that Leo is simply a late bloomer. Sure enough in Leos own time; he blossoms and is able to do what his friends can do.
The theme for my lesson would be family relationships, growing up, and Self-Esteem. When reading the book, I would stop and ask questions such as how do they think Leo felt about not being able to do the things his friends could do? Questioning them will create discussion about skills they would like to master. Students will create a list of the skills and abilities they are most proud of. They can create illustrations to go with their chart. This book will be great to show that it is ok that not everyone is at the same level, especially in prek- kinder, where students are still developing. They need to realize that they too have strengths and with practice and time they will be able develop more skills.
mv
Leo the Late Bloomer is written by Robert Kraus and illustrated by Jose Aruego. This is a great book for prek-1st grade. The main character is Leo who is behind in reading, writing, drawing, eating neatly and speaking. Leo’s father becomes concerned, but Leo’s mother knows that Leo is simply a late bloomer. Sure enough in Leos own time; he blossoms and is able to do what his friends can do.
The theme for my lesson would be family relationships, growing up, and Self-Esteem. When reading the book, I would stop and ask questions such as how do they think Leo felt about not being able to do the things his friends could do? Questioning them will create discussion about skills they would like to master. Students will create a list of the skills and abilities they are most proud of. They can create illustrations to go with their chart. This book will be great to show that it is ok that not everyone is at the same level, especially in prek- kinder, where students are still developing. They need to realize that they too have strengths and with practice and time they will be able develop more skills.
mv
I happened upon a book titled “Kylie’s Song” written by Patty Sheehan. Patty Sheehan has a background in both teaching and counseling. It was published by Advocacy Press, a publishing group that supports and develops equity oriented publications for young children, adolescents and young adults. This book could be appropriate for children of all ages. The story is simple and relatable. It takes place in Australia. A young koala bear named Kylie is naturally inclined to sing. The dilemma is that Koalas do not sing, so she is ridiculed by her peers. At first, she ignores the comments made by others. Eventually, the harassment gets so bad that she runs away and cries. Her mother tries to comfort her and recommends that although she enjoys singing perhaps she should never sing again in order to fit in with the other koalas and avoid conflict. The mother koala admits that she too yearns to sing, but holds back in order to avoid ridicule. So, Kylie stops singing, however her mother notices a change in her behavior and emotional state. Kylie just isn’t the same, more solemn. So, as Kylie reaches the age of maturity and moves on to her own tree, her mother decides to support Kylie’s passion for singing. She tells Kylie to find a tree where she can sing because she wants her to do the thing she loves. So Kylie heads off and finds a place where a platypus plays the drums and a wallaby dances. She joins the band of misfits and pursues her passion. She takes singing lessons from a bird and becomes a celebrated singer in the community. Even those that made fun of her before praised her singing and learned to accept her differences. In the end she becomes a role model for other koalas that want to sing, including her mom.
In this book, after the end of the story there is a brief description of multiple intelligences. It concludes with ways adults can support young creative minds. There is also a list of great discussion questions already included, like “What did mama koala learn from Kylie at the end of the story?” The discussion could diverge away from the book into the lives of the students. Students could team up and discuss ways stereotypes influence behavior. Students could write downs their dreams, no matter how impossible they may seem and draw a picture or make a collage to go with it. Students too young or unable to write about their desires could draw a picture of what they want to be when they grow up. Different activities could be set up to challenge gender stereotypes, such as girls playing football and boys cheering on the sidelines. This story could also be used as a tool to gain insight on a student’s interests or talents.
-McQ, Art
The story I chose for my book review is The Adventures of ERIK, a biography by Gloria Jasperse. The book is designed for an above-level second grade reader. The story of Erik Weihenmayer captivates the students interest through his many adventures. Erik is a man who loves challenges. His whole life has been filled with many adventures normal people would never experience. For example, in the book Erik jumps from airplanes, scuba dives in deep waters, and climbs to the top of mountains. What makes Erik's life story even more interesting is he accomplishes these adventures all while being blind. Erik Weihenmayer first caught my attention while watching a reality TV show called The Amazing Adventure. Each team was to complete challenging obstacles throughout many different countries to reach the finish. Although Erik could not see, he was able to complete each leg of the race with the help of his teammates. Many of the other players with great eye sight could not accomplish what Erik had accomplished blind.
The book was given to my above-level readers to accomplish on their own. After they read the book, they would discuss it with me during our small group sessions. Before we could begin our group session, I had students asking me questions about Erik. They were so excited to learn more about a man who has not let his handicap stop him from the joys of life. Instead of small group time, we used this opportunity to research Mr. Weihenmayer. Erik Weihenmayer's life is able to show students that anything is possible in life.
Respond from mv
Dear Ms. FC,
I love your idea in which you want to incorporate your lesson to impact the boys in your classroom. Writing is also an issue for my kids and would like to incorporate this method to inspire them to write.
I read Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig. This is considered a folktale or mythological in nature. Growing up as kid, I loved reading this book because I would imagine what I would do if I found a magic pebble. The possibilities seemed endless. I believe students of all ages can let their imagination run wild as they engage in this book that seems simplistic but tackles a variety of issues. Through its fantastical plot and challenges that Sylvester faces, the book leaves the reader with a sense of hope in the midst of despair and a great appreciation for what money cannot buy. The importance of the family and true gratitude for all the blessings you do have in life is a timeless truth that even we as adults are in need of remembering. The book is geared for Pre k- 2nd grade. However, its lessons are appropriate for students of all ages. A brief synopsis of the book is as follows: Sylvester the donkey finds a magic pebble and unthinkingly wishes himself a rock when frightened by a lion. Although safe from the lion, Sylvester cannot hold the pebble to wish himself into a donkey again. On a rainy day, Sylvester finds a magic pebble that can make wishes come true. But when a lion frightens him on his way home, Sylvester makes a wish that turns him into a rock. Sylvester is eventually reunited with his family and restored to his true self.
The themes presented in the book are truly cross-cultural and essential to any child, regardless of his background or family dynamic. The main theme is the theme of family. Throughout the book, the author constantly reminds the reader the importance of family over possessions. Through giving a glimpse of the Duncan’s yearning for Sylvester, and Sylvester’s undying desire to be reunited with his family, the reader learns that being with your family far outweighs any riches you can get. Other pivotal themes include patience( both Sylvester’s and his parents’) and hope. It reinforces the idea of never giving up. Sylvester and his parents always had the sense of expectancy that something was going to happen and he would re-appear. This theme is a desperate universal message that our students need to grasp. Guiding questions that I would include would be stopping the book in the middle of the plot and asking what the outcome of the book would be, given what we already know? Also, I would lead a discussion on the author’s message of the book and see if the students grasp the morale of the story. I would guide them into synthesizing what patience, courage, hope looks like in real life. We would open a dialogue as to how a person can have hope when all appears to be going wrong. A question I would use is, “In which ways would the Duncan’s life be changed if Sylvester could never be found? Why do you think these changes would happen?
Extensions for such a book are numerous. The one that I would start off with would be, “If you were Sylvester and you saw a lion coming, how would you have used the magic pebble to help you?” This would not only engage the student but cause him to think critically about what was read and create a solution based on the book. Other ideas would include write about a world in which you can get all that money can buy, would this bring you true happiness? Define happiness as you understand it. We would have 2 groups. One that would argue that money is the cause of happiness and the other group would argue that true contentment does not rely solely on money, but on the idea of being with loved ones (family).
J. Gutierrez
The book that I choose is My Lucky Day by Keiko Kasza. This is a story about a pig who accidently knocks on the door of a fox. Mr. Fox can hardly believe his good luck that dinner came knocking to his door. But before he can eat the little piglet he manages to convince him to do a number of things for him. By the end of the day the pig gets fed a fancy meal, a bath, and a massage. Poor Mr. Fox passes out cold on the floor and the pig goes home clean, fed and happy!. Its hilarious to see that the pig a check list of animals such as a bear, wolf, and a lion. In the end the pig is the one who ends up with a lucky day.
I chose this book because I use it as a way for my students to begin making connections in their own personal lives. This is a challenge for many students especially a kindergartener. I usually start off asking them what they think it means to be "lucky". I ask questions students to turn and talk about what it means to be lucky. We also do a picture walk and make predictions about what will happen to the pig. By the end of the story, students are surprised of the outcome of the story. We also take a vote before and after the story to see who had a lucky day.
Students will usually turn and talk about again about a lucky at home or school. I use this as an opportunity to get them to illustrate and write about their experience.
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