Is There Really a Human Race?

Is there Really a Human Race?

Written and illustrated by Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell

Harper Collins Children’s Books, 2006

30 pages

          I chose this book because I love it.  I know that seems like a simple reason, but really do.  It is such an important message for young people, and old, today that is too often forgotten.  This book is about a little boy that is struggling to understand how the whole ‘human race’ idea works.  Are we really racing each other? 

He progresses through several levels of wondering to finally conclude that we, as a race, need to work together and lift each other up rather than try and beat the person next to us. 

          The illustrations in this book are done in water colors.  They have texture added to them by painted layers.  There is no negative space in this book at all, and the text is informal.  The colors used in this book make it a very warm and inviting story to read.  The illustrations really help to capture the bewilderment this poor little boy is feeling.

          I would recommend this book to anyone young or old, but definitely to younger children who may be processing the same questions.  I would use this book to promote or begin a unit on self-awareness or to just discuss good moral characteristics of successful people.  I would use this book for an older class by making it an example of a book that answers a question.  Then, the students would write their own question and answer it in story form.  There are no awards for this book yet.

Be Patient, Little Chick

Be Patient, Little Chick

Written by Claude Clement Illustrated Erost

Readers Digest Young Families, 2001

19 pages

Picture Books

          I chose this book because I was searching for a book for my cousin.  She home-schools her daughters and is about to start their lesson on hatching chicks.  This book is about a little chick that is, essentially, too big for his britches. 

He doesn't think he needs any help and he can’t wait to go out into the world.  Since he is in such a hurry to grow up, he ends up making some not so great choices that get him into trouble.  He quickly learns that patience is an important part of growing up.

          The illustrations in this book are done water color and acrylic paints.  They are realistic type paintings done in warm colors true to nature.  The pictures are used by the author to demonstrate what is happening in the text.  The text type is informal.  The pictures look, in some places, like they could almost be photographs.  They are very beautiful. 

          I would use this book for my class that was about to start a science unit on hatching chicks.  It has a section at the end of the story that is about the life cycle of an egg.  It would also be a good story to read to impatient kindergarteners.  I like the idea of using this story for older students as an example of how to make your own stories about a life-like situation.  Also, it would be a good idea to ask the students to analyze themselves and talk or write about some times when they should have been a little more patient.  There are no awards for this book at this time. 

Skippy Jon Jones Class Action

Skippy Jon Jones Class Action

Written and Illustrated by Judy Schachner

Dutton Children’s Books, 2012

31 pages

Picture Book

          I chose this book because I wanted to explore the activities that might go with it since it is popular with my practicum students.  In this book our little kitten, Skippy Jon Jones, is in a predicament.  He really wants to go to school.  However, school is for dogs, and he just happens to be a cat. 

His mother is desperately trying to convince him that he doesn't want to go to school because the dogs are awful.  Unfortunately for her, the more she tries to talk him out of going to school the more Skippy really wants to go to school.  Skippy wishes he was a Chihuahua instead of a Siamese Cat.  He uses his imagination and goes into his closet to have the chance to go to school.

          The illustrations in this book are done in acrylics and pen and ink.  They are drawn onto Aquarelle Arches water color paper.  There is not really any negative space in this book and the color scheme is varied depending on Skippy’s mood.  The artwork is painted in a very textured pattern.  The text is informal and sometimes very informal.  This adds to the mood of the book.

          I would use this book for elementary students in kindergarten through third grade.  For the kindergartners I would use this book as a first day of school activity. Or a way to discuss how coming to school is a privilege.  For some of the older students, I would use this book to introduce narrative writing.  This book would also work for a word work lesson on adjectives or expanding vocabulary.  There are no awards for this book at this time. 

Skippy Jon Jones in the dog house

Skippy Jon Jones-In the Dog House

Written and Illustrated by Judy Schachner

Dutton Children’s Books, 2006

31 pages

Picture Book

I chose this book because it is a very popular series with the children and because I found a kitten that looks just like Skippy Jon Jones.  This book is about a cute, little, big eared kitten named Skippy Jon Jones.  Throughout the series he gets himself into all kinds of mischief.  In this book Skippy decides that he is going to be a dog. 

More specifically, he is going to be a Chihuahua.  Skippy uses his imagination to have a whole herd of these little dogs ‘visit’.   Skippy is playing in his closet and pretending to have an adventure with his Chihuahua friends. 

          The illustrations in this book are done with acrylics, pen and ink.  They are drawn onto Aquarelle Arches watercolor paper.  The different modes of drawing are used to give the pictures texture.  There is not really any negative space on the pages except when the author is expressing movement.  The colors of Skippy are very cool but the Chihuahuas are very warm in color.  The art is beautiful in this book series.

          If I were going to use this book in a classroom I would use it for a lesson about narrative writing.  I would encourage the students to use their imagination and write about what they wanted to be when they grew up.  This book contains a lot of good vocabulary words.  I might use this book to explore or introduce some words to the students.  This book has no awards at this time.  

The Pout Pout Fish in the Big-Big Dark

Big Scary Monster

Written and Illustrated by Thomas Docherty

Candlewick Press, 2011

26 pages

Picture Books

          I chose this book because the children that I was babysitting over the summer were having trouble with being bullies towards each other.  This book is about a big monster that lives on top of a mountain.  He fills his free time

being mean to and picking on the smaller animals on the mountain.  Eventually, they all start to hide from him, and he becomes very bored and lonely on the mountain. As he begins to look down on the mountainside, he notices many other small animals.  He decides that if the animals on top of his mountain won’t come out and ‘play’ with him then he will go down the mountain.  Sadly, once he begins to make his way down the mountain all the trees, rocks, and animals start to become a lot bigger than they first appeared to be from far away.  The BIG animals scare the big scary monster and he runs all the way back up the mountain.  He is very apologetic and attempts to be friendly to the other animals. 

          The illustrations in this book are done in water color.  The paint is brushed on to provide texture and a cool feel to the book.  The book was typeset in Century Schoolbook.  The text is set up in an informal way and there practically no negative space.  The only time there is any negative space is when the author wanted it that way.  The negative space issued to show a progression of running up and down the mountain. 

          This is an important topic to discuss with any student, but especially the younger ones.  You want to nip this type of behavior in the bud BEFORE it becomes an issue.  I would definitely use this book to bring about a discussion about bullying.  I might also use this book to prompt the students to act out a story or even to write about a time when they felt helpless and how the situation was resolved.  There are no awards for this book at this time.

Big Scary Monster

Written and Illustrated by Thomas Docherty

Candlewick Press, 2011

26 pages

Picture Books

          I chose this book because the children that I was babysitting over the summer were having trouble with being bullies towards each other.  This book is about a big monster that lives on top of a mountain.

  He fills his free time being mean to and picking on the smaller animals on the mountain.  Eventually, they all start to hide from him, and he becomes very bored and lonely on the mountain. As he begins to look down on the mountainside, he notices many other small animals.  He decides that if the animals on top of his mountain won’t come out and ‘play’ with him then he will go down the mountain.  Sadly, once he begins to make his way down the mountain all the trees, rocks, and animals start to become a lot bigger than they first appeared to be from far away.  The BIG animals scare the big scary monster and he runs all the way back up the mountain.  He is very apologetic and attempts to be friendly to the other animals. 

          The illustrations in this book are done in water color.  The paint is brushed on to provide texture and a cool feel to the book.  The book was typeset in Century Schoolbook.  The text is set up in an informal way and there practically no negative space.  The only time there is any negative space is when the author wanted it that way.  The negative space issued to show a progression of running up and down the mountain. 

          This is an important topic to discuss with any student, but especially the younger ones.  You want to nip this type of behavior in the bud BEFORE it becomes an issue.  I would definitely use this book to bring about a discussion about bullying.  I might also use this book to prompt the students to act out a story or even to write about a time when they felt helpless and how the situation was resolved.  There are no awards for this book at this time.

Pog

Pog

Written by Lyn Lee and Illustrated by Kim Gamble

Omnibus Books, 2000

28 pages

Picture Books

          I chose this book because I was searching for a book about not being afraid of the dark, and more specifically, not letting imagination run away and make you scared. 

Pog is a big scary, brave monster.  He isn’t afraid of anything; except children who hide in his closet!  Imagine, we are scared of the ‘monster’ in our closet and they are scared of us too.  Pog’s older brother, Vandal, keeps trying to warn him about how awful children are and to keep away from them.  However, when Pog actually meets a child he discovers that maybe what he thought he was afraid was really just in his head making him scared. 

          The illustrations in this book are done with water color and colored pencils.  The colors are very cool and calming.  The pictures very detailed and used to show the emotions of the characters.  The text in this book is placed in a formal position and the pictures are used to fill the majority of the negative space.  The colored pencils are used to add texture to the pictures.

          This book could be used in any elementary grade; after-all, we all have those moments where our minds allow us to get scared of things sometimes.  That is what I would focus on if I were using it for younger students, overcoming fears.  The first and second graders would benefit from the use of vocabulary in this book.  There were some words that even I had to look up.  I might also use this book as a writing prompt about things that make us afraid.  This book has no awards at this time.  

Don't let the pigeon drive the bus!

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus

Written and Illustrated by Mo Willems

Hyperion Books for Children, 2003

30 pages

Picture Books

          I chose this book because it almost received an award, the Caldecott Honor award.  My son thinks this book is so funny.  This book is about a bus driver and a pigeon who are both talking to the reader.  The bus driver has to go and run an errand and he asks that you, the reader, watch the bus.  The entire time the pigeon keeps

asking to drive the bus.  He transitions from being nice to getting angry about his request.  He starts to try and trick the reader into letting him drive the bus. 

          The illustrations in this book are done with charcoal and paint.  There is no negative space on the page; it is all filled in with some sort of color.  The text is very informal and written with the charcoal.  The different size of text is used to show his emotions.  The colors are very cool until the page that shows the pigeon getting angry with the reader.  On that page, the colors are very warm and intense.

          This book is great for younger kindergarten or first grade students.  I would use it in kindergarten to introduce the students to simple text books.  This would be very easy, and interesting, for the students to read.  For the older grades I would use this book in a language arts lesson about point of view.  It would also be good to use in a lesson about writing your own story and talk to the reader.  This book is a Caldecott Award Honor recipient.  It is a good book to make students laugh.  It would be very good for those times when you have a few minutes of  ‘teachable time’ going to and from classes or waiting on an assembly.

I WANNA NEW ROOM- book review

I Wanna New Room

Written by Karen Kaufman Orloff and Illustrated by David Catrow

G.P. Putnam’s Son, a Penguin Group, 2011

29 pages

Picture Book

I chose this because I was looking for a book to read my niece about sharing with and being nice to her baby brother.  She has been having a lot of jealousy type, don’t touch MY stuff issues lately.  I really enjoyed this book.  The main character, and older brother, Alex is having issues having to share his space with his younger brother, Ethan.  Alex decides to ask his mom to give him his own room, and she tells him to ask his father.  The story progresses via the father and son pair writing letters back and forth to discuss the issue of Alex having his own space.  Towards the end of the book, we realize that maybe part of his problem is that he is just not used to having to share anything, his father and things included. 

            The illustrations in this book are drawn in pencil.  They are colored in with water color paint.  The paint is used to give the pictures texture.  There is no negative space on the pages.  The text placement is, for the most part, informal.  We are able to get a really good grasp of Alex’s emotions through the illustrations.  In fact, when we were reading this book it was the illustrations of his facial expressions that led us to deduce that maybe Alex just missed spending time with his dad and having everything to himself. 

This book would be great for younger grades as a tool to help them understand the introduction of younger siblings into their lives.  Also, it would work well in a language arts lesson about writing letters or even as a narrative writing lesson in the genre of informational text.  It would be helpful to introduce and discuss the parts of a letter and prompt a class discussion about it while reading this book. 

I might also use this book to talk about persuasive writing.  Overall, I really enjoyed this book.  This book has no awards at this time.  

MY LUCKY DAY book review

My Lucky Day

Written and Illustrated by Keiko Kasza

Penguin Young Readers Group- GP Putnams and sons, 2003

30 pages

Picture Books

          I chose this book because my son really wanted to read a book about pigs!  A silly reason, I know, but it turned out to be a good story.  The picture on the front makes the book quite enticing, the fox looks mean and the pig looks like he is up to something.  The story is all about a little pig that has a plan to get a free meal and spa day out of some hungry predators.  He shows up unexpectedly at the fox’s house just as the fox is about to go hunting for his dinner.  The pig is surprised to see that he is at fox’s house.  He acts as though he has resigned himself to his fate of being eaten. 

Every time that the fox tries to put the pig in the oven the pig finds an excuse for why he can’t put him yet.  Each of his excuses results in the pig getting some sort of ‘spa’ treatment from the fox.  At the end of the day, the fox is exhausted and the pig marks the fox’s name off of his list of stops.

          The illustrations in this book are done in gouache. They are printed on three ply Bristol illustration paper.  The illustrations are very detailed oriented and make the emotions of the pig and fox very easy to see.  The majority of the pages use a formal type of illustration format; the pictures are on the opposite side of the text.  The illustrations are done in realistic colors and design.

          This book would be great for students in any grade.  It could be used to prompt a discussion about pre-planning for older students. For younger students, it could be used to prompt a discussion about fiction books or as a way to guide students into a conversation about what would happen if he had not planned out his moves and a create your own ending activity.  This book has received no awards at this time, but it is a versatile and fun collection to add to any classroom library.