- Taken from google.com
Title: Lon Po Po
Author: Ed Young
Illustrator: Ed Young
Date of Publication: 1989
ISBN #: 0-698-11382-9
Grade Level: K-3
Summary: This is a version of Red Riding Hood from China. It is similar to the original Red Riding Hood, except there is a twist at the end. The three children realize the wolf is trying to trick them. The children have a trick of their own.
Response: This would be a great book to read aloud. This book can be used to study Chinese culture such as the names and the significance of the ginkgo nut and other words related to their culture. Teachers could also discuss what a fairy tale or folk tale is and what it entails.
- Taken from google.com
Title: Dinorella
Author: Pamela Duncan and Henry Cole
Date of Publication: 1997
Grade Level: K-3
ISBN #: 0-590-68948-7
Summary: Dinorella is a version of Cinderella but with dinosaurs instead of people. Dinorella isn’t allowed to go to the dance until the fairy godmother comes and magically dresses her in beautiful jewels. She sees someone picking on the duke (aka the prince) so she throws her jewel at him. At the end, the duke figures out that the jewels (aka glass slipper) belongs to dinorella.
Response: This would be a great book that would allow children to study dinosaurs as well as the genre of fairy tales. It is also very repetitive by using words that start with D throughout the whole book. This aspect of the book could be very helpful for younger readers.
- Taken from google.com
Title: Cindy Ellen: A Wild Western Cinderella
Author: Susan Lowell
Illustrator: Jane Manning
Date: 2000
ISBN #: 0-439-27006-5
Grade Level: K-3
Summary: This is a western version of Cinderella. The main character is Cindy Ellen. There were a few differences compared to the classic Cinderella. Usually, Cinderella’s father marries the wicked stepmother and then dies. In this book, her father is still alive. Another difference is that there are 3 occasions when the fairy godmother uses her magic to help Cindy Ellen. First, she looks nice for the rodeo. Second, she looks nice for the square dance. And third, she looks nice to get married. The marriage at the end is yet another difference from the typical Cinderella.
Response: I think this is a very entertaining version of Cinderella. There were a lot of words that were used that would be considered part of the western culture. I think students could take this opportunity to research unfamiliar words and learn about the western culture and lingo.
- Taken from google.com
Title: If Not For the Cat
Author: Jack Prelutsky
Illustrator: Ted Rand
Date: 2005
ISBN #: 0-439-79908-2
Grade Level: 1st – 3rd
Summary: This is a book that gives a description, using poetry, of a different animal on each page.
Response: This book includes some very big words, therefore, I think it would be a great book to read aloud to children. I think it would help them build their vocabulary. With this book, you could get students to guess what animal is being described before showing them the pictures. This would be a great book to introduce new words as well as familiarize them with different animals. Because this book is written in Haiku style poetry, it could be used to introduce poetry.
- Taken from google.com
Title: Insectlopedia
Author & Illustrator: Douglas Florian
Date: 1998
ISBN #: 0-15-21306-7
Grade Level: K-2nd
Summary: This is a book of poems about insects. Like it’s title, it is an encyclopedia on insects, helping the reader understand more about each insect mentioned.
Response: This is a great poetry book. This book could be read aloud to younger children or older children can enjoy the play on words and humor in some of the poems. This book is very engaging and the pictures are very child-like. Some poems are actually written in the shape of the insect being described. With this book, younger children could learn about shape poems. I think young children would really like this book because it is written in a very creative style.
- Taken from google.com
Title: Kitten’s First Full Moon
Author: Kevin Henkes
Date: 2004
ISBN#: 0-439-80056-0
Grade Level: K – 1st
Summary: A kitten sees the moon and thinks it is a bowl of milk. She does everything she can to get to it, but she can’t quite seem to reach it. When she comes back home, there is a bowl of milk waiting for her.
Response: This is a very cute book. I think children will really enjoy it and think that it is really funny. This book could lead into a discussion or unit on the moon and it’s cycles. A teacher could also use this book to discuss how far the moon and the stars and the planets really are from where they are standing.
- Taken from google.com
Title: Officer Buckle and Gloria
Author: Peggy Rathmann
Date: 1995
ISBN #: 0-399-22616-8
Grade Level: K-2
Summary: Officer Buckle makes routine visits to schools, delivering safety tips. But, the students are bored by his speeches. One day Officer Buckle gets a dog named Gloria and she accompanies him at his speeches. Suddenly all the kids are entertained and interested. Little does he know that Gloria is acting out the safety tips. At the end of the book, Officer Buckle realizes the importance of his buddy, Gloria.
Response: This is a very fun story to read. With this story, teachers could introduce the importance of safety and do a lesson or unit on safety tips, using this as a supplemental resource.
- Taken from google.com
Title: The Mitten
Author and Illustrator: Jan Brett
Date: 1989
ISBN #: 0-399-21920-x
Grade Level: K-2
Summary: A boy named Nicki gets his grandmother to knit him a pair of white mittens. While playing in the snow, he loses a mitten. Various animals discover the mitten and pile inside. The bear sneezes and all the animals are tossed out of the mitten and Nicki sees it flying through the air. At the end of the story, his grandmother wonders why one mitten is stretched out.
Response: I really enjoyed reading this book. I think that children could use this book to learn about folktales and could discuss the reality of that many animals fitting into the mitten. The teacher could use this book to introduce folktales. With younger children, they could learn about responsibility and about the various animals mentioned in the book.
- Taken from google.com
Title: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
Author: Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault
Illustrator: Lois Ehlert
Date: 1989
ISBN #: 0-590-43889-1
Grade Level: K-1
Summary: this is an alphabet book about all of the letters climbing up a coconut tree and what happens to them.
Response: This is a really playful book. It treats each letter like they are human. The words are playful and some of them rhyme. This book would help children learn the letters of the alphabet. The words are arranged as if they are a song. So, this may help children remember the letters of the alphabet using a different song than the ABC song.
Title: Wild Ponies
Author: Arnosry, Jim
Date: 2002
Grade Level: K-2
Summary: This book tells what the wild ponies and other animals on Assateague Island do all day.
Response: This book is a very primary information book. It uses rhyming on each page to make it easier for younger children to read and understand. The text is very large and not very much text is placed on each page. I chose this book because I love horses, and I have actually been to Assateague Island. At the end, in the author’s note, it gives some more information about the island and the animals that inhabitant it.
- Taken from google.com
Title: The Librarian of Basra
Author: Winter, Jeanette
Date: 2005
Grade Level: 1st-4th
Summary: The library in Basra, Iraq was a place where people met to discuss earthly and spiritual matters. But, then their discussions became only about war. The librarian asked the governor if the books could be moved so that they would not get destroyed during the war. He said no, but the librarian secretly transported the books to a neighboring restaurant. Nine days later her library got burnt to the ground. She moved all 30,ooo books to her house and she dreams of a new library where her books will be safe.
Response: Although there are not many words per page, this is a powerful story. It is very relevant to today’s current situations in the war, but it is from an Iraqi’s perspective. This librarian cared so much for her books. She was able to save about 70% of her books. These people live in fear wondering when the next attack will come. I think this book would be great to help children understand how the Iraqi people’s lives have been changed because of all the attacks. It also shows children how much these people value books. I really enjoyed the illustrations and use of colors.
Taken from google.com
Title: My Friend Rabbit
Author: Rohmann, Eric
Date: 2002
Grade Level: K-2
Summary: Rabbit and Mouse are friends. Rabbit throws Mouse’s toy plane, but it gets stuck in a tree. So, Rabbit gets the idea to get all the animals he can, stack them up, and use them as a ladder. Just as Mouse reached the plane, all the animals fell, and they were not very happy. But, Mouse was happy because he got his plane. It seems that whatever Rabbit does, trouble follows.
Response: This book is similar to David Wiesner’s, Flotsam in that it does not always use words to tell the story. It lets the illustrations act as words. I think this book would be inspiration to those that are artistic, showing them there are outlets where they can express themselves, even in English class.
Taken from google.com
Title: Flotsom
Author: Wiesner, David
Date: 2006
Grade Level: K-2
Summary: This book had no words, yet it was easy to understand the story line. A little boy is at the beach digging in the sand when a wave crashes, knocking him down and washing ashore a camera. So, he finds film inside the camera and takes it to get developed. The pictures he sees are unbelievable. They are fantastical underwater pictures of octopus’ reading, seashell castles, and star fish with islands on their backs. Then he discovers a unique picture. The picture is a little girl who is holding a picture. With a microscope the boy can see the many layers of a picture of a picture. At the end of the book, the boy takes a picture of himself holding the picture, and then throws the camera back out into the ocean for it’s next discoverer.
Response: This was a really neat book, and I can understand why it won the Caldecott Award. The pictures are extraordinary, and it is very easy to make up the story in your head, as if there were words. This is a very creative story and writing style. I think it would encourage children who are poor writers that there are other ways of telling stories. I think this would be a good book to help children explore this concept of illustrating a story without using words. I think it would encourage them to use their imagination and break down the barriers for many students.
Good suggestions, Crystal. I enjoyed reading your reports.
~Omer Ari