Chapter Book #2 - The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

Author: Avi
Illustrator: N/A
Genre: Fiction
Sub genre: Modern Fantasy
Theme: Pirates, sea life 

Primary and secondary characters: Charlotte Doyle

Awards: Newbery Medal
Publication Date: 1990
Publishing Company: Avon Books, INC.


This is an adventuresome book that any middle school student would enjoy. There are several lesson plans available to aid in the teaching of this book. Teachers can easily plan an adventuresome lesson around this book. The teacher could have students do a research project on real pirates and then build a pirate ship. The students could really relate to the young 13 year old Charlotte Doyle and her sense of adventure. 
The story opens in the town of Liverpool in the summer of 1832. She boards a ship called the Seahawk  along with a man named Mr. Grummage. As they are boarding the ship the young Charlotte spots a shadowy figure dart across the boat. While she's on board she meets the different crew members and gains respect for some and a carefully attitude toward others. This book is filled with adventure as Charlotte and the crew adventure across the sea. Charlotte faces many trials including being put in jail, facing a huge storm, and dealing with men who give her a hard time. This book can take any child on a venture to a place they would have otherwise never been able to go. In the end, after Charlotte returns home to her now standoffish family, she has a decision to make. Will she Continue to live in a place where everyone is so uptight or go out on another adventure with the Seahawk?

Chapter Book #1 - KneeKnock Rise

Author: Natalie Babbitt
Illustrator: Natalie Babbitt
Genre: Fiction 
Sub genre: Realistic Fiction
Theme: Strange cultural beliefs
Primary and secondary characters: Egan and his strange extended family and their cat and dog
Awards: Newbery Award and Honor Book
Publication Date: 1984
Publishing Company: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

This book has a few pictures in it, however they are not needed for the text. This chapter book would be great for elementary readers, especially students in around the 4th grade. This website offers a lesson plan great for students in grades 4-7. This book would be excellent for having students predict the outcome of each character. The teacher could have them write an essay or act out what they think will happen. This book is sure to grab students and make them want to find out the mystery of the strange people and town.
Young Egan is sent to live with some of his extended family for a short time. When he arrives in the town of Instep he can sense the presence of a strange spell. He finds out what is lurking over the villagers is the fear of the Megrimum, the mysterious something that makes its home  in the misty peak of Kneeknock Rise. Some nights shrieks can be heard from the top of the rise and anyone who dares to venture up the rise never returns. Young Egan makes it a point to discover what it is that haunting the people in the little town. Will  he be able to help the villagers and break the spell? Pick up this short chapter book and find out!

Chapter Book #4: The Hundred Dresses

Author: Eleanor Estes
Illustrator: Louis Slobodkin
Genre: Chapter Book
Sub genre: realistic fiction
Theme: lying, moral dilemmas of childhood, bullying 
Primary and secondary characters: Wanda Petronski
Awards: Newberry Honor Book
Publication Date: 2004
Publishing Company:  Sandpiper


     This book follows a poor young Polish girl name Wanda and her battle with bullying. Wanda is so poor that she cannot afford anymore than one raged blue dress. Instead of just getting the embarrassment of having no other clothes, Wanda tries to make herself sound big by telling a lie to the class. She tells them that she has 100 dress in her closet at home of all different colors and materials. After this the popular girls in the school constantly tease her about her 100 dresses until she simply cannot handle it any longer. When Wanda does not return to school for several days, some students begin to wonder where she is at. The teacher receives a note from her father that says that because of all the teasing they would have to move to a different location and she would not me attending the school anymore. A young girl named Maddie who never teased Wanda feels terrible that she did not stand up for her. She struggles with the fact that she could have made a difference in whether or not Wanda was so hurt that she had to change towns. 
This book would be great to help teach young students the importance of avoiding rude or hurtful comments. This book would engage younger readers because there are a few illustrations scattered throughout the book.
      This book is heartbreaking, yet a great read for any classroom. There is so much diversity in SES in a classroom today. Teachers and students face situations like in this book all the time and people are constantly trying to figure out ways to teach children about such diversity. This book would be perfect to have students analyze diversity in the classroom and how they as students should address it. 

Chapter Book #3: The Giver

Author: Lois Lowry
Illustrator: N/A
Genre: Chapter Book
Sub genre: Modern Fantasy/ science fiction
Theme: Unusual society, government, responsibility
Primary and secondary characters: Jonas and The Giver
Awards: Newbery Medal
Publication Date: 1993
Publishing Company: Houghton Mifflin


This is a chapter book that would be best for older readers that are capable of deep thinking. This book really causes a person to think about the society they live in and what it would be like to have the perfect society. A young boy named Jonas has just that, a perfect society with no pain, no worries, no choices, and the list goes on. Everyone in the community is controlled by what is more or less their government. They government chooses what jobs the people will receive, at what ages the children are to receive certain privileges, and everything else about their lives. The people even have to take pills to keep them from having feelings for someone so that the rulers can match people up. In addition, to make everyone even more the same, everyone is colorblind. Jonas was a typical boy in this society, not knowing what it was really like to feel pain and love, until he was given the job the be the new Giver. Jonas had to go visit The Giver often in order to receive information of the life the community came from. Jonas is soon able to see color, feel emotions, and recall all the horrible events in the past. Jonas is required to keep this information to himself and not to pass through the communities boundaries so that all the memories will only be with him. By the end of the book Jonas knows he has to do something to make the people realize everything they are missing by living in such a 'perfect' society. Will Jonas choose to protect the people from the pain or let everyone experience life? Everyone has to read the book to find out!

A teacher could really use this book to help children evaluate the possibility of being able to live in a 'perfect' society. A teacher could pose questions such as, "Do you think that this is really a perfect society? Why or why not?" "What would you have done in Jonas' situation as the new Giver?". This book is sure to get everyone thinking. 

Picture Book #8: No, No, Charlie Rascal!

Author: Lorna Kent

Illustrator: Lorna Kent

Genre: Picture Book

Sub genre: realistic fiction

Theme: Cats, pets

Primary and secondary characters: Charlie Rascal and the two children who own him

Awards: 0

Publication Date: 1988

Publishing Company:  Penguin Group

      This book explored a day in the life of a mischievous cat named Charlie Rascal. Charlie Rascal causes everyone to continue getting onto him for various things such as stealing a pie or hopping into a bath with the kids. People in the book are constantly having to shout, "no, no, Charlie Rascal!" Sadly this book is no longer in print and is very hard to find. Every other page has a peep hole so the children can take a guess at why various people had to shout at the silly cat making it a fun interactive story. The illustrator uses various forms to express his idea of the cat through lines and colors. This book is full of fun and color and any child, or even adult, would enjoy its humor.
     This book could be used to help students learn how to anticipate things coming in a story. The way the book is written a teacher could easily have students discuss what trouble they think Charlie will get into next. The teacher could then have the students state their case and why they think that it will happen. This would help with the students' reasoning skills. 

Picture Book #7: Brown Rabbit's Shape Book

Author: Alan Baker

Illustrator: Alan Baker

Genre: Picture Book

Sub genre: Fantasy

Theme: Shapes

Primary and secondary characters: Brown Rabbit

Awards: 0

Publication Date: 1994

Publishing Company:  Kingfisher Books

     This book can help teach young children shapes in a fun way. This story follows a brown rabbit as he explores the items found in a big box that arrived at his place. The box is filled with balloons of all shapes and sizes. Brown Rabbit observes all of the shapes as he blows up the many balloons. Rabbit eventually runs out of balloons but makes use of what is left of the gift box. Children will love the illustrations in this book because nobody can resist a cute brown rabbit that is so beautifully illustrated. The illustrator chooses not to add any unnecessary designs or background colors which keeps the focus on the shapes of the balloons. This little rabbit and his fun adventure with shapes makes this book a must have for any children's book collection.
     I would definitely use this book in a lesson over shapes. I would use the book to hook the students and want to make them learn about shapes. Instead of book work and just having kids draw the shapes, I would send them on a scavenger hunt to find all of the shapes mentions in the book. The students would only be allowed to look in the classroom for the items. They would then have to create a box like brown rabbit received int he mail and but all of their items in the box and give it to another group so that they can name all the shapes in that groups box. 

Picture Book #6: Mama Zooms

Author: Jane Cowen-Fletcher

Illustrator: Jane Cowen-Fletcher

Genre: Picture Book

Sub genre: realistic fiction

Theme: Disabilities in the family

Primary and secondary characters: A little boy and his mom who is in a wheelchair

Awards: N/A

Publication Date: 1993

Publishing Company:  Scholastic INC.

     This book follows a little boy and his adventuresome mama. His mama is unlike most moms though, she is in a wheelchair. The little boy does not see the difference in his mama and the mother chooses not to limit the fun she has with her little boy because of her disability. She zooms her son all around pretending to be a ship while her son is a captain or a racehorse while he is a jockey. With each new adventure there is a colorful illustration that accompanies it bringing out the true meaning of the words. This book could be used in any classroom setting and would help teach the students that it is okay to have a parent who is not exactly like the rest of the parents. The little boy and him zooming mama will steel any heart by the end of the book.
      With inclusion programs becoming more and more popular in schools, students in general education need to be more aware and comfortable with the various disabilities. Books like this one are perfect for introducing those disabilities. After this book is read a teacher could have a "disability station" set up in the room with different challenges someone with a disability may have. There could be a station where the students have to go through a course in a wheelchair or with a cast on their leg. There could be another station where they have to complete a problem with a lot of distractions that someone with a disability like autism might face.

Picture Book #5 - Chicka Chicka abc

Author: Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault
Illustrator: Lois Ehlert
Genre: Picture Book
Sub genre: poetry
Theme: the alphabet
Primary and secondary characters: David
Awards: Kentucky Bluegrass award
Parent's Choice Award
Publication Date: 1989
Publishing Company:  An imprint of Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing Division

     This book takes the traditional abc song and turns it into a fun, rhythmic chant for children. This book would be great for very young children who are trying to learn their alphabet. Teachers are always pushed to teach various methods and using a silly book like is sure to grab the students attention.  The illustrations are simple with very flat coloring, however this just helps the letters to stand out more for students. There is a fun surprise at the end of the book after all the letters try to climb the coconut tree.
     A lesson on the alphabet could not begin with any more fun than with this book! There are so many cute and fun lessons that a teacher could base off of this book. One lesson would be to fill a pan with sand and have students dig through it to find little alphabet letters. Another would be to simply take the book a page a day until the students know their entire alphabet then at the end of the lesson let the students do the Chicka Chicka chant in front of another class or other teachers.  Hubbard's Cupbourd offers a five day lesson plan that will bring this book to life.

Picture Book #4 - Olivia

Author: Ian Falconer

Illustrator: Ian Falconer

Genre: Picture Book

Sub genre: Fantasy 

Theme: Music, dance, young children, a day in the life, little brothers

Primary and secondary characters: Olivia the pig

Awards: Caldecott honor book

Publication Date: 2000

Publishing Company: Atheneum Books for Young Readers 

     This book had me laughing the entire time I read it. Reading the brief text then looking at the pictures of the little piglet Olivia doing all sorts of silly things would be sure to make anyone laugh. Olivia is one spunky, energetic pig who does all the things normal little girls love to do, such as wear their mom's makeup or try on all their clothes. She can be anything from a master sandcastle builder to a singer to a big sister. The illustrations are all very simple consisting of black, white and the color red; yet they tell the story in such a colorful way.  Everyone should read this book, even if it is only to cheer them up on a gloomy day.  
     This book could be used in so many different ways, especially when doing art with students. Olivia is really into dancing and acting things out, so the perfect activity to go along with the book would be to have students either act or dance. After the book, the teacher could have the students play a game of charades and then talk about how the acting industry works. The teacher could also choreograph motions to a song and have the students learn and perform it for another class. The website hubpages offers various classroom activities that can be done when reading this book. The students will be eager to have create fun adventure just like little Olivia.

Picture Book #3 - David Gets in Trouble

Author: David Shannon

Illustrator: David  Shannon

Genre: Picture Book

Sub genre: realistic fiction

Theme: Admitting bad actions

Primary and secondary characters: David

Awards:

Monarch Award winner

Borders Original Voices

Publication Date: 2002

Publishing Company:  Scholastic INC.

     This simple yet eventful book tells the story of a little boy David who is constantly getting in trouble. He does things like eating one of the dog's bones and stealing a bite of cake without using a fork. The illustrations in this book are wonderful and full of color and life. The author/illustrator used visual elements such as line, shape, and color in order to convey his idea of the troublesome boy. This book would not make any since if it were not for the pictures, therefore it is a prime example when looking for a great picture book to share with young readers.  By the end of the book David learns a lesson, but nobody will truly know what lesson David learns unless they check out the book.
    Every teacher will probably have a student like David in their classroom and many of the students would be able to relate to crazy David. When talking about the rules at the beginning of the year it would be a good idea to begin with this book and have the students discuss why they should not behave like David does in the classroom. The teacher could do a team-pair-solo so that students can discuss it with each other then for the solo part write down or draw pictures of good behaviors.  This website offers a great classroom material if a teacher chooses to read this book to their class.

Picture Book #2 - Red Sings from Treetops

Author: Joyce Sidman
Illustrator: Pamela Zagarenski
Genre: Picture Book
Sub genre: Poetry
Theme: Discovering the magic of the seasons through colors
Primary and secondary characters: A child and a puppy named pup
Awards:
2010 Caldecott Honor Award
Claudia Lewis Poetry Award
Minnesota Book Award
Cybilis Poetry Award
Horn Book Fanfare
Bulletin Editor's Choice
CCBC Choices 2010
New York Public Library's "100 Titles for  Reading and Sharing"
ABC "Indie" Best Book
Junior Library Quild Selection
Publication Date: 2009
Publishing Company:  Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
     This is truly a one of a kind book. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful and the words are so poetic. The book goes through each season and describes the different elements of that season by using colors. For instance when it describes spring big sun instead of ever saying sun it says yellow. This book could read to younger children or used for older children. If you want your children to really put their imaginations to work then this book is the perfect thing to help!
    This book could be used to teach younger children their colors, although I think that they would not understand the concepts in the book. Since this book is written in a poetic way describing daily life in colors, older children could use this as a basis to write a description of their life through colors. This could be used in a writing curriculum as a creative writing assignment. This assignment would help students to view their lives from a different perspective. After everyone has finished their essays or poems, the teacher could host a poetry read for students to read their work in front of the class.

Picture Book #1 - The Web Files

Author: Margie Palatini
Illustrator: Richard Egielski
Genre: Picture Book
Sub genre: Comedy or humor
Theme: Trying to discover who committed a crime by interviewing suspects.
Primary and secondary Characters: The  duckdetective Web and his partner Bill
Awards: NA
Publication Date: 2001
Publishing Company: Hyperion Books for Children
Number of Pages: 29
Summery: Follow two silly duckdetectives as they go on a hunt for someone who stole a peck of perfect purple almost-pickled peppers, a tub of tasty tart tomatoes, and a load of luscious leafy lettuce. This book is sure to be just as much fun for an adult to read as it will be for a child to listen. It is filled with hidden meanings and special characters such as the three blind mice and Miss Muffet. By the end the kids will be ready to find the person who committed such an awful crime! In order to find out who took enough food to make a salad, then check out this book!
This book could either be used as just a fun read in the classroom or when learning about real life detectives. The teacher could have a detective come into the classroom and explain about how the job works. After the detective works the children could do a role play and act out a crime then have the "detective" try to solve it. The students could also do a scavenger hunt after this book in any of their subjects.