Bubba the Cowboy Prince

This is a factured Texan tale of a cowboy version of Cinderella. The roles are switched as a male becomes the prince and the female becomes the one whom he wants to charm.

Children will get a load of this fractured fairy tale. This will be a good read for children from grades 1st - 3rd. These children can make up a fractured fairy tale of their own. The teacher can come up with a list of fairy tales and  children can pick and choose which fairy tale they would like to twist and turn around. Children will have lots of fun with this :)

Another cool teacher idea is to compare and contrast the Cinderella story to that of Bubba the Cowboy prince, the similarities and differences of each story. A Venn Diagram would be helpful.

This tale is funny and cute and I think it will make the children giggle and laugh because of the fairy godcow. (giggle). I hope to the readers out there that you will pick this book out for your children to read or for teachers, you can read this book to your class!


Ketteman, H.,(1997) Bubba the cowboy prince. Scholastic Press. Singapore.

A Light in the Attic

A Light in the Attic is a collection of playful light-hearted poems written by Shel Silversteen. This poetry book is full of imagination and wonder.

This book can be used in 1^st through middle grades.

In middle grades, readers can analyze the poetry of this book. It can be fun for these young readers. As I read this, I’m already having fun. The class can compare and contrast the work of Shel Silverstein to the work of Dr. Seuss.

In 1^st grade, the class can draw and make up strange characters such as the characters that Silverstein creates.

I love this book of poetry. It’s so much fun to read and the pictures leave a lot to the imagination. The poem is quirky and there are some life lessons in the book and some things that young readers can relate to. 

Silverstein, S., (1981). A light in the attic Harper & Row, New York. 

Bangs and Twangs: Science fun with Sound

Bangs and Twangs: Science Fun with Sound is a great book for children to experiment with sound. This informational text is designed with great illustrations, character bubbles, and fun experiments that children can have while reading.

This text can obviously be used in a science class and children can do these experiments at school!

         2 Experiments in the Book

• The Dancing Sugar Experiment (Seeing Sound pg. 12 - 15).
• "Super Ears" (pg. 32) (Would do this one at home and at school) 

This would be for a  2nd - 3rd grade class.

I personally would recommend this book and other informational texts by Vicki Cobb. She has a complete series of these experimental books.

I haven't read any of them but they sure look interesting! When I pursue my teaching career, these would be a collection of books that I would like to read to my class for a science experiment. 

Vicky Cobb

• Is the author of more than 85 entertaining nonfiction books for children 
• Born in Brooklyn, NY
• Has a degree in Biology in Barnard College and a Master's in Secondary School Science Education from Columbia University's Science Program 
• Has many awards: New York Academy of Science Best Science Book of the Year, Eve Gordon Award for Contributing to Children's Science and Literature, Washington Irving Children's book Choice Award (twice), ALA Pick of the List, Outstanding Science Trade Books, Parent's Choice, ABA Pick of the List, SLMSSENY Award for Outstanding Contributions to Children's Literature

Cobb, V (2000). Bangs and Twangs: fun with sounds (Millbrook Press). Connecticut.

Vicki Cobb Biography (2013) http://www.authorsden.com/vickicobb Retrieved October 6, 2013. 

The Blue and the Gray

Two boys, J.J and the narrator learn about the Civil War as J.J’s house is being built on top of the landmark.

This historical fiction book is built in poetic form, going back and forth from the present to the past. The illustrations help the reader with presenting a picture of the events. My favorite illustration is the one with the blue bird and the grey bird flying together and the poem describing it. It really makes you think about the events in the Civil War and how it impacted our present today

Teaching Ideas

Speaking of how history impacted us, this could be a great lesson for Black History. Students could come up with a fun in-group book report on how the Civil War impacted us today.

I love this book because it is creatively written in poetry form. I think that children would be interested in reading this book and I highly recommend it.  

Bunting, Eve (1996). The blue and the grey Scholastic Press. New York 

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

Edward Tulane does not know love, but through his journeys with different people, he will soon have an internal battle within himself and find that people truly care about him. And that he truly cares back.

This is my all-time favorite picturebook. I would definitely recommend reading this, if you are a teacher, to a third grade class. It is so emotionally riveting. I have listened to this on audio book and it is so interesting how the characters come to life when one is listening to this book via audiobook.

This is obviously a fantasy book. In real life, we can't really imagine what china bunny rabbits are thinking. That is only one component of a fantasy storybook.

Teaching Ideas

For a third grade class, each student can pretend that they are Edward Tulane and create a Reading Response Journal. How do you think that Edward is feeling at this point? Who are the characters that he has come close to? They could also list the good people in the book, the neutral people in the book and the people who are antagonists in this journal. 

Another idea is to pretend that they are Edward Tulane and write down what he is thinking in first person. "Today I am feeling..." "Today I saw..." I think that these would be good lessons 

This is a great book and I literally cried. I won't tell readers of this blog the spoilers. This book is not just a kiddie book, it can be for adults too.

Edward Tulane was conceited and hadn't much respect for anyone else. It is important, according to the Core Value of Respect at Saint Leo University that we have high regard for everyone who cares about us. 

Kate DiCamillo 

She is the wonderful author who wrote this amazing book.

She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and currently resides in Minnesota

She writes for both children and adults

On her website she says,"I hate to cook, but love to eat." (Giggle)

Her most recent honor award was the 2013 Kerian Award on Saturday, June 2013



DiCamillo, K., (2006) The miraculous journey of edward tulane

Carver: a Life in Poems

This nonfiction book is a collection of poems of George Washington Carver's life. This book shows readers that he was more than just a man who could create a million different uses of peanuts, but from his life as a slave, living with white folks to the times where he is set free, begging for a job as a 10-year old to wash clothes. This book lists different accounts of his life in poem. George Washington Carver was a real man in time who had been through a lot as a child and has impacted lots of African Americans to this day.

Teaching Ideas

This book could be used as a tool for poetry. Young readers need to understand that they can write poetry about any particular thing, a person in life. This book can be used for middle grades

There can also be a reader's response questionnaire after each four poems of the book. Middle grades can read the book together and analyze what each poem talks about and then bring their conclusions to the class. 

I personally love reading this book because it is a different way to read about a person's life. I'm in the process of finishing the book as well as Shel Silverstein's poetry book. 

Nelson, Marilyn (2001). Carver: a life in poem Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publications Data, United States. 

Olivia

Olivia is a pig that is good at one thing - wearing people out. She gets dressed, goes to the beach (and makes a superb sandcastle!), goes to the museum (and after that creates her own art on the wall - which she gets in trouble for), and after the day is done she negotiates with her mother on how many stories to read before bedtime.

This book is a fantasy. One wouldn't see a piglet getting dressed or going to the beach and making sandcastles and dreaming of being a ballerina! But everyone can all relate to this book.  Olivia the pig is just like any typical child, always wearing adults out. She has lots of energy and is suuuuper busy, always getting into everything and wants attention.

I really do like the illustrations on the book - very simple and the colors of red and black really bring out the story and the boldness of Olivia.

This book is one of my favorites because it reminds me of some of my Pre-K students. They are always into something and yes, wear me out so. I would recommend parents and teachers to read t
he book to their children. It could be a good bedtime story!

Ian Falconer

He is the author of the beloved book!

Interesting Facts

• He is from New York 
• Studied art at New York University
• His books are inspired by his baby niece (who is by no coincidence, named Olivia)

                                                                Reference

Falconer, Ian (2000). Olivia 1st Ed. (Simon & Schuster). New York. 

Segretto, Mike. Meet the Writers: ian falconer. Barnes & Noble website http://www.barnesandnoble.com/writers/writerdetails.asp?cid=968049 Found on October 5, 2013. 

Knuffle Bunny Too

Trixie is excited to bring her Knuffle Bunny to school today to show everyone. But when she discovers that her classmate has the same Knuffle Bunny, there are problems; the two get into an argument (and the bunnies have to be in Bunny Time-out), and a mix-up happens! The two little girls finally got their own bunnies back and all is right with the world again.

I have heard in the textbook Literature and the Child that this book was really good so I went down to my local library and discovered that it was really good! The illustrations are different; the characters are drawn while the backdrop looks like pictures of New York. I'd read this to my children in school and at home any day! My favorite quote was "And daddy explained to Trixie what 2 a.m is..." I thought it was funny.

I believe that this is a realistic fiction book. It has all the components of this type of book, something that relates to whatever someone is going through. Trixie here has an argument with her classmate who has the same bunny she has, so her bunny "wasn't so one-of-a-kind anymore." (Willems).

I think that this  would be a perfect example of the Saint Leo value of Respect. Sometimes college students get upset because other people have the same unimportant thing (like an outfit) and we tear them down because it doesn't look as good as ours. It is so disrespectful to put others down or fight. We do need to learn that we are all special whether we have different things, or the same things.

About the Author

•       Born in 1968
• Is an animator / writer 
• His animated works include Codename: Kids Next Door, Sheep in the Big City and has worked in kids shows such as Sesame Street
• Is famous for his book Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, and Leonardo, the Terrible Monster (both I've watched, read on YouTube). 

                                                                         References

Cullinan, B. E., Galda, L., & Sipe, L. R Literature and the Child, Wadsworth Cengate Learning, California

Willems, Mo (2004). Knuffle Bunny Too: the case of mistaken identity. Hyperion 2nd edition, New York
Mo Willems biography http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Mo_Willems

On My Plate

(sorry no picture) 

This book is about enjoying protein foods and all of the foods that are protein. This is a fun way for children to eat healthy and is based off of the MyPlate Meal Structure.

This will be considered a nonfiction book because it instructs children to eat healthy meals, but have fun doing it.

Children go over the pyramid of foods and the different food groups. Also, they could list foods that are in the protein list, and foods that are not protein. 

What’s cool about this book is it shows real children enjoying a meal full of protein. Children can see that other children just like them, eat healthy foods, and look like they enjoy doing it!  Teachers can teach about health by reading this book aloud and making a chart to see what type of food has protein in it. They could do the different types of food groups.

This is a great book because it has large pictures that other children can see. They can show mommy and daddy what they’ve learned about protein at home, maybe request that their parents fix something with only protein in it! 

Evan Early

Natalie is waiting on her premature baby to come home and as she waits, she learns all the things the doctors have to go through to make sure the baby is strong and healthy. When things go wrong, and the doctors and parents bustle to keep the baby stable, Natalie gets upset because she is not getting enough attention, and finally everything is alright and the baby is home.

The story is very cool because it talks about real-life events, even though it is a fictional book. The illustrations are colorful and it looks like they are pastel watercolor paint illustrations. I like the brightness of the illustrations because they signal that this is a happy joyous moment when the baby arrives.

Teachers can do these things in the classroom with this book.

·         Read the book in a reading circle and ask questions about children’s experiences with having a baby brother or sister. Ask them how they felt, if they felt left out because their mommy and daddy gave the baby too much attention. Ask them to draw an illustration and write about their experiences.

·         Create a discovery lesson about premature babies for older children. Explain to them the process of a baby being born and show illustrations (not really graphic illustrations).

I really enjoyed reading this book because it conveys the emotions of this little girl as she waits for her brother to come home. This book can be read at home or at school and I think children can pretty much relate to this book. 

Martina the Beautiful Cockroach

Martina Josephina Catalina Cucaracha is searching for a perfect husband. She does the legendary "coffee test" for each contestant that comes through her door until finally she finds the right one for her!

This story is a legendary Cuban folktale and fantasy. It is a very good example of a multicultural book because it allows the display of an ethnic background to emerge. It is categorized as a fantasy because it has some features in the book that aren't found in the real world, such as a cockroach being beautiful (whoever heard of a cockroach being beautiful?) or the animals talking - the cockroaches, the rooster, pig, lizard and mouse can't talk in the real world.

Activities for the book probably would include a puppet play for a kindergarten class, one student could be the main character, one student could be the grandmother and the rest could be the rooster, pig, lizard, and cockroach.

Another activity could be that children could write a different version of the traditional Cuban story. Maybe make it as if it were written in today's world. Maybe switch the characters and make them human.

The illustrations in the book are very colorful, vivid, and very detailed. The illustrator draws the characters' expressions on their faces like a real human's expression.

I would personally choose this book to read to my children, at home, or at school, especially since there are a lot of fun characters in the book. I chose this book because the kindergarten class in my internship read it - but I didn't read the story. They listened to it on the CD player. The author made a CD of herself reading the story. She ad libbed most of it and did the voices of the characters. It was fun to hear all of the characters in their Spanish accents! If I were to read the story, I wouldn't know how to ad lib the parts, but read it word for word.

Carmen Agra Deedy, who is the author of this book, was born in Havana, Cuba and came to this country as a refugee in 1964. She has been writing children's books for nearly 20 years.

She has won many awards for her children's books.

• The Library Dragon  - won numerous children's state book awards
• The Yellow Star  - 2001 Jane Addams Peace Association Book Award
• and of course Martina the Beautiful Cockroach  - won 2008 Pura Belpre Honor Award and 2008 Best Children's book of the year 

In 2009 released a book  called 14 Cows for America which was based off of an amazing gift that America received from the Maazi tribe in Africa, following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.



                                                         Bibliography
Deedy C.A., (2007) Martina the Beautiful Cockroach. Peachtree Publishing, Atlanta Georgia 

The Peterkins' Thanksgiving

The Peterkins are about to gorge on Thanksgiving dinner, but one problem; the meal is stuck in the dumbwaiter near the ceiling! They must call the carpenter to pull it down so they can have their meal, and the problem is fully solved by doing just that!

This wonderfully illustrated book called The Peterkins' Thanksgiving seemingly takes place in the 1600s back in the Pilgrim Ages.Halperin This book was written by Elizabeth Spurr and illustrated by Wendy Anderson  It is historical fiction because it is based on the Pilgrims' first settlement in what is now known as America! This book is wonderfully crafted for children to read. It is the perfect book for children to get ready for Thanksgiving. Teachers will want to plan activities around this book, maybe pretend to have a Pilgrim Thanksgiving or teach historical events based on the Pilgrims settling to America. 

Reader responses should include:

•                  Prereading: What do you think the book is about?
                                         What kind of clothes are they wearing? Are they wearing the                                              same clothes that we are wearing? 
•                  During reading: The teacher would read to the class the entire text. 
•                  After reading: (2nd grade) Students will be given a series of questions pertai-                                            ning to the text.                                  

                                                        a. What would you do if you were at the Peterkins'                                                                      Thanksgiving dinner?
                                                        b. Compare life in the Pilgrim Age to life today. Do we
                                                         have the same materials that they used back then, or
                                                        different. Explain your answer.

                            Activity: Play as Pilgrims and have Thanksgiving dinner like the Pilgrims had Thanksgiving dinner. 

The illustrations are very realistic looking, like they have come out of an old 17th century book (to me, they do). They are very colorful and paint a lovely picture of what the Pilgrims had during the 17th century. 

I personally love historical fiction because it is intricately wrapped around events, in history, just with additional fictional characters (hence, why it is historical fiction). I've read romance novels based on historical fiction. One was based on slavery in the 1800s and the time warp between the past and present, back and forth from the 1800s slavery times to the 21st century. Two people who eventually fall in love pretty much get a blast from the past when one of the characters eventually turns into a reincarnation. This may probably sound silly but it was a really good book. 

One can learn a lot of things with historical fiction and base real life events on it, and that's why I personally love it! 

                                                         Biblography

Spurr, Elizabeth (2006). The peterkins' thanksgiving. New York. Atheneum Books for                        Young Readers