The Magic Mirror of the Mermaid Queen

Summary: Neef, the Green Lady's Champion and her fairy godmother, Astris are back again, this time its Neef’s mission to return a magic mirror to the very determined Mermaid Queen.



Analysis: The Magic Mirror of the Mermaid Queen is a fun option for a fourth or fifth grade class as an independent reader. It has mermaids, fairy godmothers, and a female protagonist that slays a dragon while on a quest for a magic mirror.

It would also appeal to those children that are interested in eco-friendly causes or the supernatural. I would use it to incorporate environmental science topics, or geography. I found that this book to be gender inclusive, and reinforces that females can be strong and capable.

If used as a pair book, I might pair it with one of the Harry Potter novels. I would like for the student to read both books then write a few paragraphs about the similarities and differences between them. This could be presented, on a voluntary basis, during a writing prompt circle.

As a follow up activity, I might have the whole class write a poem or draw a picture about one of the ideas the student highlighted in his or her book pair analysis.



Citation: Sherman, D. (2009). The Magic Mirror of the Mermaid Queen. New York: Viking Books.

D. Schumacher.139

Children's Literature for Math Class

Teachers can struggle to make math relatable and enjoyable for all students. Here are five books that will engage students in math-related concepts.

Franco, B. (2003). Mathematickles! New York: Margaret K. McElderberry Books.
Words + Math + Seasons = Mathematickles! Journey through the four seasons as words, illustrations, and mathematical equations combine to paint delightful images through unique poetry.

Not only are the poems found in the book original, but most of them are also correct in their use of mathematical signs and equations. For example: “Pumpkin – Seeds + Face = Jack-O’-Lantern.” This makes the book a great way for upper elementary teachers (grades 3-5) to extend their students’ conceptual understanding of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. The large colorful pictures and relatable concepts make the math concepts a little less intimidating for students. It’s also a fresh take on the changing seasons. Teachers could have students observe their environment (whether it be the classroom, the playground, or on a field trip) and then write math poems of their own.

Fromental, J. and Jolivet, J. (2006). 365 Penguins. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
On New Year’s Day, a family of four is puzzled when a penguin arrives anonymously on their doorstep. As they continue to receive a penguin each day, their problems are multiplied. But who is sending these birds? And why?

This humorous book will have students laughing as they learn basic math skills: addition, multiplication, and even geometry! Younger students (grades 1 and 2) will appreciate the story, but students in grades 3 and up will benefit the most from the math concepts included.  Teachers might have students write number sentences or equations during a read-aloud to review the concepts presented in the book. Students might also enjoy practicing addition or multiplication facts by drawing groups of penguins as pictured in the book. Finally, the story’s end introduces the issues of global warming and endangered species, which could then be used as the jumping off point for a science lesson.

Nagda, A. W. and Bickel, C. (2004). Polar bear math: Learning about fractions from Klondike and Snow. New York: Henry Holt and Company.
This book chronicles the life of Klondike and Snow, two polar bear cubs that were raised by keepers at the Denver Zoo. Each left-hand page details how fractions and other math concepts were used to raise the bear cubs.

This book is a creative way to introduce fractions and their real-world value to students in grades 3-5. Teachers of younger students may choose to omit the left-hand pages and only use the right-hand ones (which tell the cubs’ story) as a read-aloud. Alternating back and forth between the story and the math concepts might be confusing for students, especially if they have not read the book before. I would recommend that teachers planning on using the book to teach math concepts read only the story (right-hand pages) first to students, then incorporate the math concepts (left-hand pages) on subsequent re-readings. 

Pinczes, E. (1996). Arctic fives arrive. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

One day in the Arctic, five snowy owls light on the top of a hill. They are joined by groups of five – polar bears, musk oxen, walrus, ermine, and more – who arrive to view a magical sight.

I’ve shared this book with kindergarten students, who loved the rhymes and silly story. The arrival of each subsequent groups of five led to moans, groans, and laughs among the children. It also provided a terrific opportunity for them to practice counting by fives, which is a skill that primary students must master. However, this book is not without its flaws. First, it is on the long side for young students, as many were squirming and wiggling around before the story was finished. Second, a re-reading of the book in preparation for this post showed a fairly significant discrepancy between the text and illustrations. While the text states that the animals end up on a hill (which isn’t quite accurate as the Arctic tundra is flat), the illustrations show the animals crowding on a very tall iceberg (again, not quite accurate). However, the book overall is still one I’d recommend and use for counting exercises with students in the primary grades if used with modifications as needed (such as building in time for movement such as acting like the animals in the story or only using part of the story).

Smith, D. (2002). If the world were a village: A book about the world’s people. Toronto: Kids Can Press.

Smith, D. (2009). If America were a village: A book about the people of the United States. Toronto: Kids Can Press.
These two books introduce students to economic, social, political, and environmental issues facing the world and country’s population by providing statistics about a village of 100 people.

It can be a challenge to help students (and adults!) understand the extent of issues such as food shortages, poverty, and lack of access to clean water. Part of the reason for this is the huge numbers involved in such statistics. By simplifying to a village of 100, world and national issues are much more accessible. The author provides excellent suggestions for teaching about America and/or developing a sense of “world-mindedness” by emphasizing geography, cultural heritage, and a sense of citizenship. In terms of math concepts, these books provide an excellent real-world context for teaching about rations and fractions, two concepts that upper elementary students often struggle with and question the utility of.

Dinosaur Books

            I choose dinosaurs as the theme of my five picture books. I like the topic because it can be integrated into many different lessons for early elementary students. From these picture books I could teach an art lesson, science lesson, writing lesson and obviously a reading lesson. The five picture books I would base these lessons on are When Dinosaurs Came with Everything, If you Give a T-Rex a Bone, The Magic School Bus in the Time of Dinosaurs, Can I Bring my Pterodactyl to School Ms. Johnson?, and How do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?.

            The science lesson would definitely start with The Magic School Bus in the Time of Dinosaurs. This book goes on an adventure to the past where they are looking for a dinosaur but keep ending up in the wrong era so they see other dinosaurs they weren’t planning on. The pages are full of side notes with facts about dinosaurs, bubbles of conversations talk about what the different dinosaurs they see and what the dinosaurs eat. This book would get the children excited about the science lesson and they would learn many facts about dinosaurs without me just writing them out on a blackboard. The illustrations are very detailed with plants and dinosaurs that existed. The book also shows time lines of the different eras since the earth has existed, the pictures label all the different dinosaurs that are shown, it introduces definitions such as prey and meat eaters. This book would be a very easy way to teach about the environment, the life cycle, dinosaurs and history.

            Another science lesson that would be more focused on dinosaurs could be planned from If you Give a T-Rex a Bone. This would be more specific than The Magic School Bus in the Time of Dinosaurs because it doesn’t introduce as many topics but it is more specific about the life cycle. This goes through different dinosaurs and what would happen in you interfered with their world, then goes to the next dinosaur. This book talks more about which dinosaurs are carnivores and which dinosaurs are herbivores. It talks about how they hunt and what they use as weapons whether it be their claws, teeth, horns or spikes. The book also shows the dinosaurs in the habitat they lived in such as in the jungle, in water or on the beach. I could talk with the students about different animals habitat and what their own habitat is. This book could be used for a specific dinosaur unit, maybe before a trip to the museum.

            A reading lesson could be created from How do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? Because it is a simpler book. The book has a different situation on every page about what kids do to avoid bedtime but in the end the dinosaur goes to bed easily. The words have a lot of repetition so it would be good for beginners because they could remember the words that are used. The pictures show what the page is talking about so the student could look at the pictures for clues as to what the word may be. This is also an easy book that they could take home to practice with their parents because it is the perfect bedtime story (i.e. the title).

            Can I Bring my Pterodactyl to School, Ms. Johnson? And When Dinosaurs Came With Everything are both stories that involve the dinosaurs as characters, but don’t tell any facts. I choose these to include in my lesson plan because I don’t always want to have factual books because children will get bored of dinosaurs, I want them to have fun books too. Can I Bring my Pterodactyl to School? Is about a boy who wins a pterodactyl as a prize and lists all the ways the pterodactyl could help him and the class at school, even though in the end he realizes that he won a woolly mammoth instead. When Dinosaurs Came With Everything is about a town that gives away dinosaurs when you go to the dentist, buy a sandwich or even go to the movies. Both of these books could start children on an art project because it would stimulate their imagination. I could ask them to draw what they would with their dinosaur if they got one with the dentist or won a prize and could bring it to school. This would challenge their art skills along with demonstrating what they learned from the previous science lessons, if they remember the different kinds of dinosaurs and what they looked like. These books would be the wrap up to the dinosaur unit because they would have to build on everything they have learned from the other subjects and books to complete this project.

Danny Frank First Book Review

Adler, David, and Susanna Natti.  Cam Jansen: The Mystery of the Babe Ruth Baseball. New York: Puffin Books, 1982. Print.

Cam Jansen: The Mystery of the Babe Ruth Baseball is a short chapter book, in the collection of nearly thirty Cam Jansen books, in the series written by David Adler. This story tells of Jennifer "Cam" Jansen, a young female detective with a photographic memory who decides to take up a case on a recently gone missing autographed Babe Ruth baseball. Using her detective techniques along with help from her sidekick Eric Shelton, she tracks down the thief who stole the baseball from a hobby show and returns the ball to its' rightful owner. 

Although this book is centered around the reading levels of six to nine year olds, I still find story to be very entertaining and have picked up on some of the underlying messages and techniques that I had not readily recognized as a child while reading this book. A common literary element known as a motif is represented by Cam's popular phrase "click"as she enables her photographic memory to remember very specific details about what see has seen.  Although it is not required for her to say the word "click" to remember things, it helps young readers identify when she is using her memory. Overall the word "click" is said eleven times by Cam, and is italicized in the text to help readers make note of its importance. Another aspect that I had not picked up on as a child is the important moral issues and good decision making strategies that are filled in the novel. Politeness is personified by Eric as he apologizes to two elderly women by saying, "I'm sorry, excuse me," as Cam and him take off  running between the two women after the baseball thief. Another seemingly comical issue although very serious that children learn at a young age is to look both ways before crossing the street. It is reiterated three times in the novel with one specific case where the thief takes off running across the street not even looking as he crossed, unlike Cam and Eric who the author points out look both ways before ever crossing.  I feel that this is an issue that six to nine year old kids can relate to and in order for them to be more like Cam and Eric they will want to look both ways if they are ever crossing the street.

 

I feel that the main reason I was so attracted to this series as a child was because it fell along the lines of a mystery novel, similar to my favorite juvenile series Goosebumps. I enjoy the sense of excitement while tracking the "bad" guy. In this Cam Jansen story readers are given clues to who could be the true baseball thief as Cam tries to solve to case. As she begins to make progress, so do the readers as if they too were detectives themselves solving the case. This story makes children begin to think ahead and try to figure out how the ending will conclude before reaching the last few pages.  I feel that as a young child this book helps the beginning stages of logic which are essential in making efficient decisions in one's future.

Another main reason, I feel why I liked this book particularly most out of the series is because of its reference to sports and especially baseball. Growing up I was typically the student who was successful in school but when the 3:10 bell rang, the rest of my day was spent being involved with sports rather then reading. Although it was not that I didn't enjoy reading, I just didn't find it particularly exciting, but that's because I didn't always find books to my interest. I remember after discovering these mystery novels, I began spending more time reading and with the sports references in this book it taught me about great baseball players of the past.  Along with referencing Babe Ruth in this story, other famous baseball players like Reggie Jackson, Satchel Paige, and Stan Musial are all mentioned. Although these names probably have no impact on the average nine year old, to some one who greatly enjoys baseball it gives them names of some of the sports' greatest players to play the game.

One final aspect of this book that I did enjoy is the illustrations provided by Susanna Natti. Although this is definitely not a picture book, about every three pages there is a small illustration visually describing what is going on in the scene. Because I find myself to be much more of a visual learner I found these illustrations to be especially useful to keep my attention. Using them as a reference to what the setting and characters in the story looked like helped me imagine the rest of the story in my head. I also find that sometimes a short break from words to look at a picture also helps me stay focused on the book because after awhile my attention span shortens and to look at a picture that relates to the book helps me to want to continue reading. Although the illustrations are done in black and white and there is not much detail to them, I still find the pictures very useful personally. To conclude, I feel that this opportunity has reenlightened my appreciation to one of my favorite series of books growing up, and reading it now again as an adult I can understand why I found these books to be useful and entertaining.

Paula Harting's book review!

1st Book Review


Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1960.
et al. Ninth Edition. Vol. I. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2007. 906-907. Print.
Scout Finch is a lively little girl growing up in the South during a time of tense relations between blacks and whites. Life changes drastically for Scout and her brother Jem when their father, a lawyer, defends a black man in court. Scout is growing up and learning about her world through the things that are taking place in her community and the people that she interacts with.
There are several aspects of this book that I really enjoy and would like to focus on. First is Scout’s non-traditional family. Scout herself is quite a tomboy and does not act in a manner that is considered appropriate for a young girl in her society. She seems to get away with it because she does not have a mother, and her father is often busy. Making his daughter into a proper lady is not at the top of his priorities. Jem and Scout call their father by his first name, Atticus, which at first seems shocking and disrespectful. However, it is apparent through the events of the story that though Atticus’s relationship with his children is not the same as in most other families, he is a loving father and his children have great respect and admiration for him.
Secondly, I really love the authenticity of the characters in this book. Scout always says what is on her mind and is more concerned with the truth than with what is appropriate or acceptable to say. Throughout the story, Jem is becoming a young man, looking out for his younger sister and, though he does not always relate to his father, looking up to him. This could make for an interesting discussion on the meaning of manhood in our society and how it compares to the view of manhood in To Kill a Mockingbird. When Atticus is chosen to defend a black man in court, he accepts the case even though he knows it will cause many in his community to reject him. Even when his personal safety is threatened, he does not back down. But he stands for what is right and just in a quiet and humble way.
This was one of the few books I enjoyed reading in high school and I hope that my students will love it too!

Elizabeth Seiler-First Book Review

Browne, Anthony. Into the Forest. Cambridge, Mass.: Candlewick, 2004. Print.

Into the Forest, written and illustrated by Anthony Browne

A young boy’s father goes missing the day before he is asked to take a cake to his grandma.  Disobeying his mother he takes the quick path through the woods, crossing paths with fairy-tale characters.

I originally picked up this book, because I have enjoyed other Anthony Browne books, especially those about Willy the Chimp.  As I can recall, I had not previously read this particular book.  Anthony Browne’s illustrations are extremely detailed, often with little “clues” or pictures that provide interest.  The cover is a mostly black and white illustration of a forest, with a young boy walking on a path in the woods.  If you look closely though, you notice that the boy’s shadow looks like a rabbit and there are little objects in the woods like a frog, an apple, and a castle.  These details are found throughout the book and could provide interest for both adults and children. 

The book starts out starts out with the sudden disappearance of the boy’s father, something that would make any young child scared.  The illustrations are stark, reflecting the apprehension of having a missing parent.  Children would have fun identifying the different fairy-tale characters the boy meets and look for other details about the characters in the illustrations.  The book could be slightly scary, but when the boy reaches his grandma’s house all is well.  This is reflected by the full-color, happy illustrations.

This book could tie in with any lesson about fairy tales, showing how they can be incorporated or made into spin-offs.  It can also be used to show a child that while things may seem scary, they will end up turning out fine.

Hoban, Russell, and Lillian Hoban. Bread and Jam for Frances.  New York: HarperCollins, 1993. Print.

Bread and Jam for Frances, written by Russell Hoban, illustrated by Lillian Hoban

Frances is a picky eater who only likes bread and jam.  After having to eat bread and jam for every meal, Frances realizes that variety is the spice of life.

I remember enjoying the Frances books as a young child, so I thought I would revisit them.  I found the story funny and charming and the full-color illustrations of the badger family are a beautiful complement.  I really liked the many songs Frances makes up throughout the book.  She can also be somewhat sassy, although never in a rude way.  I also found the descriptions of the enormous and detailed lunches very appetizing:  “a thermos bottle with cream of tomato soup…and a lobster-salad sandwich on thin slices of white bread…celery, carrot sticks, and black olives, and a little cardboard shaker of salt for the celery.  And two plums and a tiny basket of cherries.  And vanilla pudding with chocolate sprinkles and a spoon to eat it with” (Hoban and Hoban 31).

This story would be great for any child who is a picky eater, hopefully showing them that eating the same food at every meal becomes boring.  Children could think of foods that they did not used to like, but enjoy now.  In the spirit of Frances kids could make up songs about their favorite foods.  It could also accompany a lesson on different foods that people eat around the world. 

 Hoban, Russell, and Lillian Hoban. A Birthday for Frances. New York: HarperCollins, 1995. Print.

A Birthday for Frances, written by Russell Hoban, illustrated by Lillian Hoban

It is Frances’ little sister’s birthday tomorrow, but Frances is not sure whether se will give her a present or not.

This is another book about Frances and her family.  I enjoyed this book, just like Bread and Jam for Frances.  Again, Frances’ spunky attitude and songs and the illustrations were delightful, and the dialogue was amusing.  Many children would relate to the jealousy Frances feels because it is her sister’s birthday.  This story shows that even when you feel jealous because it is someone else’s special day, you can feel better if you do the right thing.  For this reason it is a great book to lead a discussion on feelings and sibling rivalry. This book could also accompany a lesson on birthday celebrations.  

Barrett, Judi, and Ron Barrett. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. New York: Atheneum, 1978. Print.

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, written by Judi Barrett, illustrated by Ron Barrett

A grandfather tells his children a bedtime story about the town of Chewandswallow, a place where the weather brings the food, snowing mashed potatoes and raining soup.  When the weather takes a turn for the worse, the people must make a decision.

This is another story that I loved as a child.  It has recently been made into a digitally animated movie, although I have not seen it.  The book starts out slowly, introducing the children and their grandfather.  I really became interested when Grandpa began telling the bedtime story.  The idea of the weather bringing in the food is fun and interesting.  The illustrations are detailed, showing people collecting food while on the go, roofless restaurants, and the unusual sanitation department.  When the weather gets worse and the food gets bigger the illustrations become even better with giant pancakes and donuts.

This book would be another fun accompaniment to a lesson on food.  It is imaginative and different.  Although I have not seen the movie it might be interesting to have children compare the book and movie. 

Potter, Beatrix. "The Tale of Tom Kitten." Beatrix Potter, the Complete Tales. Ed. Frederick Warne. London, Eng.: Penguin, 1997. 147-58. Print.

The Tale of Tom Kitten, written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter

Three kittens get into mischief before their mother’s tea party.

Although I remember Peter Rabbit and some of the other Beatrix Potter books well from childhood, I do not remember reading The Tale of Tom Kitten.  I read this as part of a treasury of all of Beatrix Potter’s tales, so it was a much larger volume than the smaller books she is known for although the illustrations and words are still printed in their smaller size.  I enjoyed this story about the mischievous kittens and as always, I loved the illustrations which really seemed to capture the characters’ personalities. 

Overall it is a very sweet, short book that I feel young children would enjoy.  It is important to note that the mother cat smacks the kittens for being naughty, which some parents might find inappropriate in a children’s story.  This story includes many great vocabulary words, such as affronted, repose, and tucker, which could lead to discussions on vocabulary of the past and vocabulary in different countries such as England.  The beautiful watercolor illustrations could also easily accompany an art lesson, in which students could paint common animals like kittens and ducks.

Sara McRoberts: First Book Review

Yolen, Janel, and Mark Teague. How Do Dinosaurs Say   Good   Night? New York: The Blue Sky Press, 2000. Print.


This book is about the silly ways people think dinosaurs might get ready for bed.

This book did a great job of providing enlarged illustrations of dinosaurs so that the children reading this would constantly be engaged in the reading. The dinosaurs in this book towered over the people, creating a main focal point for the readers. Each page showed a new kind of dinosaur and somehow labeled its name somewhere on the page. This labeling made for a game of "I Spy" for the children reading. Dinosaur names were displayed in all sorts of fashions ranging from being engraved into head boards on beds, made of letter blocks, and on penant flags. Overall, this bok was one that draws in all kinds of readers throughout the whole read.

Blackstone, Stella, and Clare Beaton. I Dremat I Was a Dinosaur. Cambridge: Barefoot Books, 2005. Print.

I Dreamt I Was A Dinosaur is about a young boy who dreams of living in a time wear dinosaurs roam. Along the way he explores and meets all sorts of dinosarus and learns of their speacial characteristics.

This book introduces multiple kinds of dinosaurs and teaches of their special traits and characteristics. A teacher could form an activity for a classroom of students to show understanding of the book. Each student could pick their favorite dinosaur that was mentioned in the book and recreate them as that dinosaur. For example, if their dinosaur could fly, they could trace themselves, draw some dinosaur scale skin, and add of some wings. This activity would show their rememberance of the dinosaurs traits, along with some characteristics of the student themself.

Blackstone, Stella, and Clare Beaton. I Dremat I Was a Dinosaur. Cambridge: Barefoot Books, 2005. Print.

Edwina is a dinosaur who is just the friendliest dinosaur around town; she bakes cookies, plays with neighborhood kids, and helps people cross the street. However, a young boy named Reginald Von Hoobie-Doobie doen't believe in such dinosaurs. Yet with time and some good dinosaur listening ears, Reginald turns around in his thinking.

This book provides for a great moral. With Reginald constantly denying Edwina's existance was done in such a hurtful manner. He paraded around school with flyers, picket signs, and even brought in a band to let everyone know that Edwina was not real. These actions hurt Edwina's feelings. By reading this book to a class and asking them if what Reginald did was nice or not would make for a great way to engage the class in discussing what's hurtful and unkind to people. Such a discussion about the book could then lead into applying kindness into the classroom, the school, and to everyone. This lesson can assure students of how words and actions can hurt others feelings, so we need to be kind and respectful to those around us.

Mitton, Tony, and Guy Parker-Rees. Dinosaurumpus! New York: Orchard Books, 2002. Print.

This book was a fun picture book that tells o all the silly dances dinosaurs do when near the sludgy old swamp.

A great class activity for this book would be to get the students to jump around, shake some maraccas, and prance around the "swamp". This kind of actiivty would make for a great time fill right before resess. Such an activity would get them all bouncing and excited; perfect for sending them outside to run around and play. A teacher could create some type of swamp out of cinstruction paper and lay it on the ground. Each student could be a different dinosaur. One who bounces around  saying "EEEK", another who is shaking some maraccas, and others who just hop arund doing the dinosaurumpus. Having students do such would make for a great interactive class activity.

DiPucchio, Kelly, and Ponder Goembel. Dinosnores. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2005. Print

Dinosnores is about all the bizzare noises and actions that dinosaurs make when they are fast asleep.

This book did an awesome job with its constant rhyming. Page after page was consecutive rhyming that would be rather enjoyable to children. The rhyming added humor to the noises that dinosaurs make when sleeping. The author definitelty kept children in mind when writing this book. They knew what would be funny and enthralling to the young ages. In addition to being a good read for the classroom, it would also make for a great read that parents could read when children are being tucked into bed.

Theo B.- First Book Review

                        Isadora, Rachel. Yo, Jo. New York: Hardcourt Books, 2007. Print.

Jomar greets his neighbors using slang, but his grandfather wants to hear some more traditional words.

               

           This picture book first captured my attention because of the unique title, after reading it I was split with two different reactions.  I was astounded by the use of slang and improper grammatical language compared to most picture books, children that read these books are oftentimes not old enough to realize the book is written with slang and these words should not be used in the classroom. So my thinking is why do we have a book in the classroom that is teaching our children improper grammar when proper grammar is becoming harder and harder to find in the primary and secondary classroom? This was somewhat astounding to me; however, I was struck with another reaction that the grandpa was asking the child to use different words, more traditional words, but in the book this did not happen until the very last page and would not be very noticeable for a child. The main character of the book was obviously black but some of the other characters in the book that were also using slang words were white, including a little boy and girl so I do not believe the book was trying to suggest that only a certain race uses slang words. Perhaps some little children would enjoy this book because of the wonderful, unique illustrations that were quite unusual compared to most other books, but I would not read it to my own children or students in my classroom. If educators are suppose to set good examples for our children and select books that teach proper grammar (especially to the elementary school) this book would not be a good selection.    

             

   Ehlert, Louis. Color Zoo. Singapore: Harper Collins Publishers, 1989. Print.

This book only has a few lines of text: Shapes and colors in your zoo, lots of things that you can do, heads and ears, beaks, and snouts, that's what animals are all about. I know animals and you do too; make some new ones for your zoo.

                

    I really enjoyed this book because it provides a great opportunity for younger children (probably preschool, kindergarten, or first graders) to not only learn their shapes but to have a fun educational day in the classroom. This book has a very basic but creative idea, each page contained a different animal made out of a geometric shape and as you turned each page the shape changed along with the type of animal. So for example, a tiger made out of a rectangle would be a square made out of a mouse when you turn the page. If you turn the page again, you would have a fox made out of a circle and a hexagon making a lion. So you have your basic shapes (like a square, triangle, circle) for the real little kids and more advanced shapes (like a hexagon, octagon, and diamond) for the older children. The real reason why I enjoyed this book was it gave me a very fun and inventive game I could make for my children in the classroom, especially for the real young ones. After reading and showing the book to my students, I could ask each of them to get out all of their art supplies and create masks (out of geometric shapes) of their favorite animals, it would help the kids with math, art, and animal sounds, plus it would be an activity that would not only be educational but it would be a lot of fun. Then each child could share their creation with the rest of the class and they could even be used in a little class play or something in their art class.  

Rockwell, Anne. Can I Help? New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1982. Print.

A little girl asks to do some chores around the house, some of them she is old enough to help with but others are too dangerous for such a young girl. At the end of the book, her parents help with her chores.

               

     I found this book to be rather interesting for a few reasons, first I thought it was interesting that a picture book (which are usually meant for children) had a very overt message: help with your chores, ask your parents if they need help with their chores, and ask them if they will help with your chores; I just thought it was funny how most of these older picture books are trying to teach our children to do something, compared to "new age" picture books like Yo, Jo which really have no purpose and might be teaching our children to use slang, I'm not really sure. I think its beneficial to not only entertain our children with picture books but to also teach them how to do something or why to do something. In this book, the children are taught that it is polite to put things away after you get them out, to ask your parents if they need help around the house, and to know that when you help your parents (or someone else) out with something the debt will usually be re-paid one way or another.  Another aspect of the book that I found interesting was the gender of the child, female, I am not really sure if this was intended to be this way or not but the book is kind of an older one, 1982. I realize this is way after women began working out of the house but it is kind of funny that most of the chores were inside and that women in the past have been typically associated with inside tasks, perhaps just an accident? Probably.

Rockwell, Anne. Apples and Pumpkins. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1989. Print.

During the fall, a family goes to pick pumpkins and apples. They look for the best ones, then father carves out a face and makes a jack-o-lantern. The children then dress up in their costumes and go trick-or-treating.

                

      I thought this would be a very fun book during the Halloween season or simply during anytime in the month of October. This book would be fun to read to maybe third, fourth, or even fifth graders and assign them with a few activities after they are done reading it. One idea was that (with the teachers help) the students could make a jack-o-lantern with a candle inside it and place it inside the classroom for the rest of the students in the school to view. This would be not only fun for the students but a fun time for the teacher, something different than just watching a movie the day before Halloween or simply cutting out some Halloween decorations. Another task you could have the children do is to tell them to dress up in their favorite Halloween costumes before reading the book to the class and put on a play for another class or perhaps the entire school, anything fun for the students the day before or a couple days before Halloween, anything to let them get a little energy out of their system, they could even do the play at lunch time or recess. Perhaps the teacher could ask the children to find the very best looking pumpkin or the shiniest apple and reward the best one with some candy, a little extra time for recess, or some extra credit on a tough quiz or test. These would be fun activities associated with the book and a good way to do something both fun and unique during the Halloween season. 

  

 

Rey, H.A. Curious George. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1969. Print.

A monkey is captured in Africa because he acted too curious, he is later brought to America. He fakes a 911 call and is sent to jail; however, he escapes flies over the city and eventually finds a home at the zoo.

              

     I greatly enjoyed these series of picture books growing up and I think it's important to never forget to share them with not only our own children but also our classroom of kids. The series usually has a little moral to it (like curiosity got George in trouble, or in other words: curiosity killed the cat) but mostly they're just fun reads with great pictures and a cute, fun little story. For an assignment, the teacher could ask the children to read another book in the series or a specific one in the series to really get the children into the collection. These books could really be good for any child in the primary classroom, from the more advanced first grader to the reading-hating fifth grader. This book is in its 29th printing and I think it reminds the reader (or should remind the reader) that a great book no matter what the difficulty is will forever be a classic and will never go out of style.  For a fun activity after reading the book with the classroom you could ask your kids a time when their curiosity got them into trouble and what they would have done differently if given a second chance. A teacher could even share a time in their life when they got a little too curious and it got them into trouble. There are many different things you could do with this book and I think that is why a true classic never goes out of print.

     

Children's Literature for Earth Day

Earth Day is April 22. Here are five books that can get elementary students involved in Earth-friendly discussions and activities.

Peet, B. (1970). The wump world. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
The Wumps lived happily on their small world until the Pollutians claimed it for their own. They build skyscrapers, factories, and highways, sending the Wumps into hiding. Will their world ever be the same?

While it's important to teach elementary students the importance of protecting the Earth, pollution and other environmental issues can be very frightening to them. By setting the story on a fictitious planet not unlike our own, Peet makes the story accessible and less threatening for even students in preschool and kindergarten. A hopeful, yet realistic, ending is important, as it should leave students wanting to help protect the Earth without feeling a sense of hopelessness. However, teachers should take care to make sure that students (especially those in the upper elementary grades) understand that environmental problems do not simply go away over time. This book can be used to set the stage for a unit or project on environmental issues.

Hollyer, B. (2009). Our world of water: Children and water around the world. New York: Henry   Holt and Company.
Most of us take water for granted – after all, it's always waiting for us with the turn of a faucet. Or is it? Children around the world tell us about their lives and give us a dramatically different view of water's abundance and value.

Water isn't a topic that we often include in environmental or Earth Day units, especially in the elementary grades. However, it is an extremely important issue and will become more so in the future. Climate change is already causing mountain glaciers to melt, threatening the freshwater supply of millions of people. Desertification, or the process of land deterioration, is a related problem. Teachers could use the vignettes in this book to introduce upper elementary students (grades 3 and up) to the concept of water conservation. Students could track their families’ use of water over a day or week-long period and then develop a plan to reduce water consumption. In addition, the book provides a wealth of up-to-date cultural information about children around the world, making it a wonderful bridge between social studies, science, and literacy.

Sayre, A.P. (2008). Trout are made of trees. Watertown: Charlesbridge.
How are trout (and bears and people) made of trees? This book leads students through a stream's food web to demonstrate the connections between all living things.

This book is one of the most engaging ways to teach food webs that I've ever seen. Instead of presenting an academic definition and examples, it begins with the engaging statement "Trout are made of trees," which should immediately spark student questions! The collage-style illustrations and simple, short text make this book appropriate for students in the primary grades (K-2), although older students might enjoy it as well. This book would be a wonderful prelude to a field trip to a stream to observe the plants and animals depicted and discussed. Teachers can maximize student understanding by pausing after each two-page spread to discuss and clarify. Urban students may have more difficulty with this text, as it assumes some knowledge of a stream environment. In this case, a field trip to a similar environment or even video clips would be helpful to build the requisite prior knowledge for comprehension. Ultimately, helping students realize that all living creatures are connected in food webs will help encourage environmentally-responsible behavior.

Deedy, C.A. (1991). Agatha's feather bed: Not just another wild goose story. Atlanta: Peachtree Publishers.
Agatha loves to tell children about where the silk, wool, and linen in her shop come from. After all, everything comes from something! But when six geese show up at her door after she purchases a new feather bed, she must take her own lesson to heart.

This fun book combines many elements of excellent children's literature: an imaginative and entertaining subject, plays on words, repetition, and rich illustrations. Students in grades K-4 will enjoy the story but also learn about the sources of many everyday items, thanks to the text as well as the illustrations. Teachers can extend the lesson by asking students to identify the materials used to create other everyday objects found in the classroom or at home. It is an entertaining way to introduce the concepts of renewable and nonrenewable natural resources as well as the 3Rs – reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Siddals, M.M. (2010). Compost stew: An a to z recipe for the earth. New York: Tricycle Press.
How can you make compost – a dark and crumbly, rich and sweet treat for Mother Earth? Learn how in this colorful rhyming alphabet book!

Composting is another underrepresented topic in the standard Earth Day activities, yet it is a great example of an easy way to recycle and reuse. Any class involved in a gardening or plant project would benefit from reading this book, but its value doesn't end there. Rather, this book would be useful throughout the elementary grades for a variety of other reasons. Primary students, especially kindergarteners and first graders, will benefit from the rhyming text and use of the alphabet book format – two research-based ways to develop students' phonemic awareness. Older students can focus on the underlying science concept of decomposers and their role in food webs. Students of all ages will enjoy the colorful collages that illustrate the book in the style of Ezra Jack Keats's Jennie's Hat. Teachers might even choose to have students create their own environmental-inspired alphabet book complete with collage illustrations – another form of recycling in and of itself.

Kristyn Malanowski-book review 1

McMullan, Kate. Count Down To The Year 1000. New York : Grosset and Dunlap , 1999. Print.

Count Down to the Year 1000 is the eighth book in the Dragon Slayer’s Academy series.  The series, in general, is about a boy named Wiglaf who hails from the town of Pinkwick.   He journeys off to the Dragon Slayer’s Academy with his pet pig Daisy, who can speak Pig-Latin, to learn how to slay dragons and obtain their hoards of gold.   In this book, it is year 999 and according to a mysterious prophecy, the end of the world is coming.   Wiglaf and his friends are all frightened until a boy named Zack, star of the Zack Files, pops out of a book and convinces them that the world is not going to end; for he is from the year 1999.  Count Upsohigh tries to take every one’s gold by saying that he can save the world, but in the end he is revealed for the true type of person he is; a crook. 

            The DSA series is one that I hold near and dear to my heart.  The first book of the series came out in 1997 when I was only seven years old.  DSA was one of the first series that I have ever read.  I remember the first time I read The New Kid at School, and how I re-read it about ten times before I put it down.  Kate McMullan’s books opened up a whole new world for me and really started my interest in reading.  Ever since, I have loved fantasy books.  Reading the DSA books allowed me to feel as though I was back the medieval ages.  I could picture myself side by side with Wiglaf as he fearfully, and accidentally, killed his first dragon.  I still read the books from time to time and would recommend them for any fantasy lover out there.    

            It is hard to say what grade I would classify the DSA books for.  I was only seven when I began to read them, but I was also an advanced reader.  I truly feel that second and third graders could read the DSA books.  Children may need help, though, with the way the characters speak.  Also, some of the names may be a little bit harder to pronounce.  The setting is during the medieval age, and thus there are names like “Sir Mort du Mort, Lady Lobelia, and, my favorite, Professor Prissius Pluck”.  Overall, the books are quite an easy, interesting, and entertaining read. 

            DSA brings up a gender conflict.  During the medieval ages, girls were not off slaying dragons, they were at home sewing something or they were “helpless” princesses.  Dragon Slayer’s Academy is an all-boy’s school.  We find out in the first book that one of Wiglaf’s friends, Eric, is actually Erica.  Erica is actually a princess.  Erica came to DSA because she wanted to learn how to slay dragons.  In order for her to attend DSA, she had to disguise herself as a boy.  Wiglaf is the only person that knows Eric is actually Erica; he found out when they went to slay their first dragon.  If the headmaster were to find out he was a she, Erica would be kicked out of DSA. I have always believed that girls can do anything that guys can do…if not better :).  I feel that this series does a great job of proving my theory.  Yes, Erica may have to hide her identity, but they portray her as one of the smartest characters and the one who truly wants to slay dragons.  In contrast, Wiglaf can read, but he cannot stand the sight of blood.  Basically, Wiglaf, who has only killed two dragons due to pure luck, can attend DSA just because he is a boy, while Erica, who would willingly charge into a dragon’s cave, has to hide her identity just because she is a girl.  My moral for this would be: Do not let anyone tell you that you cannot do something just because you are a girl. 

Prophecy - a prediction of a future event that is believed to reveal the will of a deity.   This book is all about a prophecy stating that the world will end in the year 1000.  The prophecy in the book states

“The year 1000 fast approaches, None will survive except the roaches.  Say hello to Armageddon, For that is where we’re surely headin’-Earthquakes, firestorms, flaming pits, Black plague, brown plagues, gas pains, Zits, How to know the world will end?  Beware these signs, my frightened friend:  When chickens bark and dogs me-ow, When pig-faced calf is born to cow, When fish are kept in golden cages, Then bid farewell to Middle Ages!” (McMullan, 4-5).

 This prophecy brings about mass hysteria.  It sort of reminded me of The Crucible and the Salem Witch Trials.  Just because somebody says the world is going to end, does not mean it will really happen.  But of course, by way of mouth, everyone begins to freak out and say that they heard a dog me-ow and that a pig faced calf was born to a cow.  In reality, no one heard or saw any of this happen.  When something big is going to happen, people start to believe what other people say without seeing it for themselves.  Once something crazy starts to happen, it is hard to stop.  Even with factual evidence that the world was not going to end, some characters still believed in the prophecy.  The point I am trying to make is, when mass hysteria hits, others take advantage of the situation.  In this case, a crooked count wanted to steel every ones gold.  He spread the word that he could stop the world from ending if everyone gave him their gold to melt into a large hippo.  For no reason what so ever, people listened.  They thought a golden hippo would save them all.  HOW REDICULOUS?!?!  In reality, the count was taking advantage of everyone else, knowing nothing was really going to happen.  DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT listen to everything you are told without evidence.  You could end up like the townsfolk of Toenail and get tricked into giving up all of your gold.  Be smart like Wiglaf, take some time, sit back, relax, and process what is going on around you.  Realize that the hippo is made of butter and that the count is stealing all of your gold! This book does a great job of showing you how something so ridiculous can blow up into a big mess in just an instance.  This book makes you stop and think about all of the things you have witnessed growing up and how some of those things were just plain idiotic.  I feel that this story could help children learn to process a situation and make their own judgments about a situation.  Hopefully, they will learn to march to the beat of their own drum, and not someone elses'.