Paul Bunyan

Paul Bunyan
Retold by: Bill Balcziak
Illustrated by: Patrick Girouard
Traditional/Folk Literature

This book retells the life of Paul Bunyan and how his stories began. The beginning starts out from the time when several storks carried a very big baby to the Bunyan family. Much larger than everyone else in the village, Paul Bunyan rolled out of his crib on night and into the water causing a flood. The angry villagers instructed the Bunyans that they must leave to raise their child elsewhere. After moving during a great snow, Paul heard a noise outside and found an enormous blue ox buried in the snow. He named the ox "Babe" and took him on all of his adventures. When he turned 18 his parents sent him West to find work in the lumber camps. Paul Bunyan and Babe headed to Michigan in search of gold where Babe dug five huge wholes, which we now call The Great Lakes. They finally settled in Minnesota where they started the biggest lumber camp in the world and where people had to be at least 10ft. tall to work. All though Paul Bunyan is rarely seen anymore people still share stories of his many adventures with Babe. The book ends with an interesting thought; "Isn't is interesting to think of Baby slipping across some ice and skidding across Dakota territory? Now you know why the plains are completely flat and treeless! Could it be true? Or is it a tall tale?"

One thing I really enjoyed about this story other than the retelling of the tall tale itself was details of how it was believed to have come about. One of the last pages tells that it was believed to have originated in Canada during the 1800's in logging camps. I think this would be an interesting book to use in the classroom. You could use it to discuss differences with your students and how it is important to never treat people differently simply because they possess an odd characteristic. It would be fun to have students write an adventure that they think Paul Bunyan may have had during his life and have them to act it out in groups. You could also have your students use mixbook.com to make there own story book about Paul Bunyan similar to the one I created.

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The Great Race: The Story of the Chinese Zodiac

The Great Race: The Story of the Chinese Zodiac
Written by: Dawn Casey
Illustrated by: Anne Wilson
Traditional/Folk Literature

I first picked up this book because I am interested in the Chinese Zodiac, so I thought this would be an interesting idea of how they came about. The people had no calendar so they had no way to measure time. The Jade Emperor decided that something must be done so he came out with the idea to start a calendar and name each year after a different animal. His problem was that he didn't know how to decide what order the animals should go in so he decided to have a race. He decided that the winner would be the first year on the calendar. All the animals gathered, including Rat and Cat who were best friends. They made a plan to out smart the other animals by riding on Ox's back in the water. Ox agreed and it was such a smooth ride through the water that Cat fell asleep. Rat knew that since Cat was sleeping he could be well rested when they reached the shore for the run so he pushed him into the water. Rat jumped off of Ox's back when they reached the shore and ran to the finish, coming in first place. All the animals came in leaving Cat as the 13th animal to finish, so that is why he is not on the Chinese calendar and the reason why he and Rat are now enemies.

This book can be a good introduction to help students learn more about the Chinese culture. You could also have them devise their own plan of how they would name each year if they could re-make the calendar we currently use. This book can also be used as a lesson to show students that doing something mean to one of your friends can cause you to no longer have a friendship. Encourage them to think about the importance of friendship in comparison to other things like winning a race. Ask them to think about and discuss questions like: "What would you do if you were Cat?" "How could they solve this issue and stay friends?" Use this opportunity as a chance to have students understand the value of friendship and kindness.

How the Ostrich Got Its Long Neck

How the Ostrich Got Its Long Neck
Retold by: Verna Aardema
Illustrated by: Marcia Brown
Traditional/Folk Literature

This is a funny retelling of the story of how the ostrich got its long neck. In the story the ostrich starts out with a short neck, where he must sit down to catch insects on the ground, cannot reach berries that are high in the trees and has to spread his legs wide to drink water from the river. In the meantime, there is a crocodile in the river who is crying because he has a toothache. Hoping to have someone look at his tooth, he asks a Kudu and Mama Baboon to help him. They refuse and run away when the fish eagle in the sky tells them not to do it because the crocodile is dangerous. Then comes a long ostrich. By this time the crocodile is in so much pain that he tells ostrich to help him and he promises not to hurt him. Ostrich is hesitant and at first backs away, but then decides to help him. When the ostrich sticks his head inside the crocodile's mouth, the crocodile remembers how hungry he is and clamps his jaws down. Trying to get out the ostrich backs up, pulling away from the crocodile and the further he backs up the longer his neck becomes. Crocodile's toothache begins to hurt worse and he finally lets go. The ostrich notices his neck is now long and he can reach the ground and the berries in the trees much easier. He is so happy for this, but he learned not to ever trust a crocodile again.

I thought this was a very fun book and could be used in the classroom in different ways. For one idea, you could have your students act out the story and record it using a flip cam. You could also ask them to be creative and work in groups to think of their own story for how the ostrich got its long neck. After they have thought of their own versions have them work in groups to make a video of the story or have them act it out in front of the class. This can be a fun and entertaining experience for the children.

My Teacher is an Alien

My Teacher is an Alien
By: Bruce Coville
Science Fiction

This book is about a young girl named Susan who discovers her teacher is an alien. Her class becomes disappointed when they go to school one day and realize Mrs. Schartz, their teacher that they loved, has been replaced by a unreasonable man named Mr. Smith. When Mr. Smith picks up a note Susan wrote about him with her assignment, she tries everything she can to get it back. When her least resort is going to her house. She is surprised to hear weird noises and suspects Mr. Smith is in trouble. After entering the house she sees him remove his mask and is shocked to find out he is an alien. She decides to tell Peter, the science fiction lover of her class what she discovered and they decide to get evidence by going back to his house. They are frightened to find Mrs. Schartz in his attic surrounded by a force field. She communicates to them telepathically and tells them to warn the other children that the alien plans to take five students with him back to his planet on May 26th. Susan then tries desperately to unmask him by fainting in class and trying to grab his ear, but instead ends up with a bump on her head. Susan is asked to stay after class when Mr. Smith discovers she, Peter and Duncan were in his home earlier that day. They were disappointed to find out the pictures they had taken of Mrs. Schartz in the force field were only pictures of blue streak. People at the school became nervous when they head of the alien invasion and they were scared "Broxholm" may choose them as one of the kids to take back. At the music concert Susan got the idea to play her picollo because she knew how much Broxholm hated music. The whole class began to play and told him they would only stop if he removed his mask. It worked, but then Peter opened the door helping "Mr. Smith" (Broxholm) escape and they returned to space in his ship. Susan imagined Peter must be happy because he finally got to see what space was like after reading about it in his science fiction books. Mrs. Schartz was also freed.

This could be a good book to use in the classroom because it can inspire lots of creativity in the classroom. One way to use this in the classroom could be having your students write a letter to someone trying to convince them that someone they know is an alien. Also, you could have them draw pictures of the alien they have just discovered. Another way to implement this in the classroom would be having your students continue the story by writing what they think would happen next.

Call It Courage

Call It Courage
By: Armstrong Sperry
Multicultural

This book is about a boy named Mafatu, the son of Tavana Nui, who was the great chief of the Hikueru people. Mafatu feared the sea, possibly because that was were his mother's canoe was swept away when he was only three years old. While he survived, she died shortly after reaching the shore. Mafatu struggled to fit in because his people wondered how someone who was afraid of the sea could ever become a great fishermen. They were sure that "Stout Heart" (Mafatu) would never earn his place in the tribe. After the boys in the village continued to laugh and make fun of him he decided that he would have to gain courage and face the seas. With his albatross Kivi and his dog Uri, he set out to sea in his canoe. When a storm came he lost all of his weapons, food and the clothes on his back. When the canoe hit something, the boy and his dog were flung into the water where they swam to the island. While exploring the island he discovered an idol that had bones all around it and he realized he was on the Forbidden Island, where there were "eaters of men." He became thrilled when he touched the marae and got a spearhead to hunt the while bull, because he knew this act took courage Mafatu thought about how proud his father would be when he found out he had built his own shelter, cooked food from the fruits of the island, found or made his own weapons and started a fire. He was determined that when he returned home they would never again call him the "boy who was afraid." When a shark breaks open his fish trap and begins to go after his dog Uri, Mafatu has no choice but to save his companion and stabs the shark; killing it. Still brave, Mafatu was able to kill the wild boar he had his eyes on the whole time on the island. After he finished building his canoe, he was forced to dive into the deep dark waters and fight an octopus when trying to retrieve his knife. The day he was going to head back to Hikueru he was woken by the arrival of the "eaters of men." When he got on his canoe to escape they chased after him and he began to pray for Maui (the God of the Fishermen) help once more. When Kivi arrived he was finally directed back home where he arrived to a very proud father. He collapsed in his fathers arms.

Personally, I would probably not recommend this book to my students just because I didn't particularly enjoy it. I felt that at times it became boring and that exciting events would happy occasionally. If my students were to read this book there are a few ideas I have for activities in the classroom. Since the ending of this book is kind of vague you could ask your students to write a continuation of what they think will happen next. They may interpret the ending as Mafatu died in his fathers arms or they make just assume he passed out from exhaustion. This book could also be used in an art lesson. You could have your students work in teams to build small canoes with sails similar to what Mafatu built and then have them test them out on water using a fan to see whose canoe travels fastest,farthest,etc. I think that students could really enjoy this activity because it allows them to be creative and who doesn't love a fun competition?

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
By: Mildred D. Taylor
Multicultural

This book is told from the point of view from a young girl named Cassie Logan during the Depression of the 1930's. Cassie lives with her mother (Mary), father (David) and her three brothers (Stacey, Little Man and Christopher John). This book is about how the Logan family is struggling to try and keep the small area of land they own, which a man named Harlan Granger is trying to buy. The story starts out with the children walking down a dirt road on the way to their first day of school; Cassie wearing her Sunday dress. The blacks during this time struggle to make it through life because of the segregation and racism. Unusually, the Logan children have a white friend named Jeremy who walks with them to school. The Logan family finds out that a black man named Berry dies from being burned by a white man in their town and the black community becomes furious when the crime goes unpunished. Angry that the school bus that the white children ride always drives by covering them in dust and mud, they decide to dig holes in the road to make the bus get stuck. Even after their father warns them not to go to the Wallace store, Stacey, his friend T.J. and the other children go there after school to fight. When they get home they find out that Harlan has been talked to Big Ma (their grandmother who owns the land), about buying it. When Stacey admits they went to the Wallace store, his mother takes him to see a man who survived being burned by the Wallaces. Knowing that they are the ones who burned Mr. Berry, Ma urges people to boycott the store. When they go to the town of Strawberry, Big Ma makes Cassie apologize to a girl named Lillian Jean that she accidentally bumped into, but after acting like her slave for a while Cassie ends up beating her up. The children stop being friends with T.J when their mother gets fired because they found out he told Kaleb Wallace she wasn't teaching what she was supposed to. When Stacey and L.T (a man who works on the farm) go to Vicksburg, they are attacked and Papa's leg gets run over by the wagon. Injured, Papa has to borrow money from their Uncle Hammer to pay for the loan. When T.J. shows up to the Logan's house injured, a mob arrives to beat him and his family because they are being held responsible for a robbery that two white boys did. Papa starts a fire on their land to distract the mob, which ultimately brings together everyone when they try to put it out.

I think this book would be most appropriate for 5th grade AIG students or higher grades. I believe this because some of the language may be difficult to read and some parts of the book can be confusing. There are several activities that could be used in the classroom with this book. For one, you could have your students think about what it must feel like to live during this time as a black. Ask them to write a story about how it would make them feel and what they may do to try to change the way they would be treated. Ask students to think about how our world has changed since we have become a "melting pot." Encourage them to discuss how these changes have made the world a better place and an easier environment for everyone to live in. You could also ask your students to find someone different from them (race, gender, sexual orientation) and then have them talk with their partner about the challenges they face because of this difference.

The Election Book: The People Pick A President

The Election Book: The People Pick A President
Scholastic
Nonfiction

This is an informational book filled with knowledge about the president. It reviews such things like; how voting works, the jobs of the President, eligibility for becoming president, political parties, campaigns, election day and the electoral college. This book has a couple parts that I thought were very useful and neat. For example, there is a glossary of political terms that can help students to more clearly understand the reading. It also has a section with election websites that children can use to further their knowledge on how the President is chosen. The last part of the book was actually my favorite, because there was an interesting and useful section. It was a chart with each campaign year and who ran and won that year along with their parties and the number of popular and electoral votes they received.

This can be used in the classroom in multiple ways. One way would be to encourage your students to run for different classroom positions including things like president, vice president, mayor, etc. This would give them an opportunity to have their own campaigns and to allow them to more clearly understand what a campaign is like. This will also provide a chance for them to vote, similar to how we vote for the President. You could also use the websites in this book to have your students do further research on the election and then have them present their new discoveries to the class. Using technology you could have your students use the information they learned from the book and research they have done about the election to create a Wordle (www.wordle.net) similar to this one:

title="Wordle: election"> src="http://www.wordle.net/thumb/wrdl/1679802/election"
alt="Wordle: election"
style="padding:4px;border:1px solid #ddd">

Junie B. Jones and the Mushy Gushy Valentine

Junie B. Jones and the Mushy Gushy Valentine
By: Barbara Park
Illustrated by: Denise Brunkus
Fiction

This story is about Junie B. Jones a young girl in kindergarten. She and her classmates get excited when they find out they are celebrating Valentine's day. After the teacher tells them they are going to make cards, they come up with crazy ideas on what kinds of things they will have at the party, from all kinds of candy to chainsaw jugglers. Junie B. was confused when her teacher told her she had to bring a card for everyone, even the "big, fat stinky heads." After she picked the perfect valentines for everyone, she ended up decided on one with a skunk on the front for Jim, since she didn't like him. The next day, Junie B.'s friend Lucille bragged about how she would get the most cards because she was the prettiest and richest girl in class, but they argued back with reasons why Grace would get the most. Junie B. was angry when the day of the party arrived and she only got 16 valentine's while everyone else got 17. (one from each student in class) While Junie B. was trying to figure out who didn't give her a valentine, the teacher found a big card at the very bottom for her covered in hearts and lace that was signed "your secret admirer." She was determined to find out who sent it and when she ran back in from recess to get it she saw Jim looking at it. He accidentally told her that it was from him and that he liked her but didn't want anyone to know. They decided not to tell anyone because if they did Room Nine would never be the same.

This would be a great book to have students read before Valentine's day. I know that many times students may play favorites and may not want to make a valentine for everyone in the classroom, but it's important as a teacher to make sure they understand how people would feel if they didn't get as many valentines as someone else. You could have your students each make a Valentine's day box for their desk and have everyone else write someone nice about that person on a paper heart and put it in their box. This is a good way to include everyone and make each student feel special on Valentine's day. You could also ask your students to research how Valentine's day started and have a class discussion about what they found.

Good As Lily

Good As Lily
By: Derek Kirk Kim and Jesse Hamm
Graphic Novel- Modern Fantasy

In this book Grace Kwon, a normal Korean 18 year old girl, is visited by three different aged versions of herself (6 years old, 29 years old and 70 years old). She is faced with the challenge of solving the problems that each version of herself has, while they help her solve her own problems in the meantime. When she finds herself faced with the three versions of herself on the night of her birthday, Grace realizes her life is going to be different. Grace is an intelligent high school girl with a lot going for her, but she is blind to some of the things going on around her, especially the obvious crush her friend Jeremy has on her. She can't see this crush mostly because she is so in love with her drama teacher. Each version of Grace helps to make the life of all the other Grace's better. While the 6 year old who gets fussed at for not being good like her 8 year old sister Lily, the 29 year old worries about being single forever and the 70 year old who drinks and smokes because she feels she has nothing else in life to look forward to. Somehow she manages to keep the versions of herself from her parents by hiding them in her room each night and tells everyone at school that they are her cousin, aunt and grandmother. Everyone is disappointed to find out there is not enough money to put on the school play that Grace and Jeremy are both starring in. When Grace finally talks to her parents about her sister death, the next day her 6 year old version is gone. At the school dances she is angry to find her 29 year old version in a room with Mr. Levon, but she finds out he is still in love with his ex. This event shows her not to be afraid of turning 30 and she is better of without him and that she will find someone better. The next day the only one left is the 70 year old. She disappears after paying $30,000 to have the school play. Since Jeremy is injured she decides not to take the lead role in the play and instead stays backstage with Jeremy. She finally realizes how she feels about him.

I feel like this was an interesting graphic novel, but I'm not sure I would encourage my students to read it until middle school because there were a few cuss words and inappropriate things in the book. With this book I would have my students try to work in groups to determine the moral of this book and to decipher what it means for Grace. Of course they would have to read the book as homework for several nights to finish it. After each group determines what the moral is, you could discuss as a class questions about the book such as; why each character disappeared at a certain point in the story or what effect each character had on Grace's life and how they feel this changed her future.

The Monster in the Third Dresser Drawer

The Monster in the Third Dresser Drawer
and other stories by about Adam Joshua
By: Janice Lee Smith
Fiction

This book is about a young boy named Adam Joshua who isn't happy when he finds out his family is moving. He is frustrated and very angry and writes on his new room wall, "moving is moving and there's not much you can do about it. The move is only the beginning of the changes that Adam Joshua is about to face. Next he finds out that his parents are having a baby and he knows all about babies from his friend Nelson. He was not happy when his grandmother told him he was going to have to start being quiet, acting more grown-up, and being considerate. His new room was no longer just his, he now had to share it with his new baby sister. He finally becomes content with having a baby in the family. When Adam Joshua got a loose tooth everyone in his family told him to "wait," while he and his friend Nelson tried everything they could to get it out. When Adam Joshua has a babysitter he tries to go to sleep but can't because there is a monster in the third dresser draw. Luckily, when his mom comes home she is able to scare it away. Then Adam Joshua's Great-Aunt Emily, who he doesn't get along with, comes to visit. She gives him a gift for the very first time which is an old picture of her and her family. For the first time, they got to know each other and Adam Joshua was very happy. In the last chapter, Adam Joshua becomes angry with his sister because he is tired of her living in his room and says "she's got to go." His father tells him her room is almost finished and ask him to watch her until they are done with the room. He was happy when his sister finally moved into her new room, but he decided she was lonely and carried her to his room to sleep.

This would be a great book for children whose families are expecting a new baby. It can be used as a way to show them that no matter how frustrating a baby may be at first you will grow to love it in a special way. A good way to implement this book into the classroom would be with writing. You could ask your students to write the next story of the book. Invite them to be creative and to write what they think will happen next in Adam Joshua's life. You could also have them do an art project where they make the monster that was in the third dresser drawer out of different materials. These can be great opportunities for students to get creative in the classroom.

Ten True Animal Rescues

Ten True Animal Rescues
By: Jeanne Betancourt
Nonfiction

This is an interesting book for animal lovers. It is filled with stories of how different types of animals either saved the lives of their owners or even complete strangers. Different stories include; a hamster that warns a family about a house fire, a dog who rescues a young girl buried in the snow, a women saved from a shark and from drowning in the ocean, a diabetic boy saved by his own puppy, a boy who gets hurt by jumping over a rail into a gorilla pit is held by a gorilla, a suffocating baby is saved by a meowing cat, a boy is rescued by a dog a woman from the ice covered lake, a boy is saved by a cow from a mean bull, a dog that risks his own life to save a family and a pony who swam through the ocean to save two men on a sinking boat. These stories are absolutely amazing to read! It's hard to put into words just how astonishing these events are. Basically, you have to read them for yourself to understand.

To implement this book in the classroom you could have your students write stories about how their own pets have changed or affected their lives in some way. I think it is important that students see just how special animals can be in times of need, even if it's not something as huge as saving a life. For students they may not have pets, ask them to write about what they think having a pet could do for them or how it could change their lives for the better. This lesson could be extended into learning about how different animals have specific personalities or abilities. You could also have a discussion with your class about the different ways animals help humans during their every day lives. (ex: a dog that helps the blind)

The King's Equal

The King's Equal
By: Katherine Paterson
Traditional/Folk Literature

This book is about Prince Raphael who will be the ruler after his father dies. However, his father tells him he will not wear his crown until he finds a women to marry who is equal to his beauty, intelligence and wealth. Since Prince Raphael was very arrogant, he knew it would be a hard task. Prince Raphael was so angry with his father's "blessing" that he refused to mourn his death. He threatened his councilors by telling them if they did not find him a wife equal to him, they would rot in the dungeons. The councilors brought many women from across the seas but no matter how beautiful, wealthy or intelligent they were none of them pleased the new King. During this time in another part of town was a young girl named Rosamund whose father asked her to leave with the goats so she would not have everything taken from her when the King came. She met a wolf who she invited to come in her home and he told her kindness would not go unrewarded. The wolf asked Rosamund to help her people and she agreed. After giving her to gold circlet he wore on his neck he told her she was to go into the town to meet the councilors. She knew that she was not the most beautiful, intelligent or wealthy women, but he reminded her that her mother laid on her death bed and said you were to be equal to the king. She was the most beautiful women the King had ever seen so he put her through the final two test. She explained that she knew he was lonely, which proved her intelligence. Then she said that because there was nothing else she wanted in life that she must be wealthy because the King was not satisfied with what he had. She explained that by his own words he had declared her more equal than he. She told Raphael that in order to win her over he must live with the goats in the pasture for one year, while her fathered lived with her in the palace. Raphael did not want to take care of the goats so he left them outside. When he talked to the wolf, the wolf went inside the shack with the goats leaving Raphael outside. He finally begged to come in and help and the wolf showed him how to do all the things Rosamund could do. Raphael returned with the goats and they were married. He realized that the new friends he had made were what made him rich and he was no longer arrogant.

This can be a great book to show students that they should never think themselves to be better than someone else. For example, they should understand that just because they have money they may not necessarily be more rich then someone without. This can be used to show them that people are equal in different ways and that beauty, intelligence and wealth are not always things that can be measured. An activity to do with this assignment could be to ask your students to write their own version of the story. You could have them write a more modern version that they can use personal experiences in.

The Dog: Why Are Dogs' Noses Wet?

The Dog: Why Are Dogs' Noses Wet?
Scholastic
Nonfiction

This is a fun book to read that gives you general information about dogs. It's a wonderful book for dog lovers (like me), who are interested in expanding their knowledge of different types of dogs. It is a question and answer book filled with all kinds of exciting, true facts. It answers all different kinds of questions from "why do dogs dig?" to things like "why do dogs wag their tales?" Personally, I enjoyed this book because I was able to learn new things about dogs and their silly habits. However, this book may not be for everyone.

This book could be implemented in the classroom in a couple ways. For example, you could ask your students to pick a dog that they think would fit their lifestyle and personality. You could then ask them to write why they believe this breed of dog is right for them. Some students may have personal stories to share about dogs they may already have as pets and others may be encouraged by this book to get a dog. You can also use this book as a way to explain to children that their are many dogs in the world that do not have loving homes, but need them. Next, you could ask students to think of another question they have about dogs and then research that question to find an answer. You could then allow your students to share what they learned with the class.

Transport Systems

Transport Systems: How Your Body Changes and Uses Food, Water and Air
Scholastic
Non-fiction/Informational

This is a scholastic informational book about how our body changes and uses food, water and air. This book contains explorations for children to help answer the many questions they may have about how their bodies work. Each section has a question like "how does your body take in air?" and then it presents an exploration exercise where students can build models to help them answer this question. The book then shows them how to interpret their results and interpret diagrams. At the end of the book there is a section called "For Science Browsers" that helps to answer questions many children probably have. For example, "why do I get the hiccups?" For easy access there is also a glossary of terms in the back to help students more easily find certain concepts that they are looking for or may be interested in. I think this is a book that every student could find a topic in that interests them because it is filled with so much useful, yet interesting information. Not to mention, it gives them a cool exercise to try in each section.

This book itself provides various activities for students to do, but it could also be used in the classroom in other ways. You could use this book to help get students interested in Science. I'm sure that many of them may not realize that questions they have about their bodies are science related. You could have your students work in pairs and perform their favorite exploration activity and then ask them to write in their science notebooks about questions they may have had before, during or after the exploration. Allow them to answer and discuss this information with their partners. Another way to use this book in the classroom would be to have students divide into groups and read and carry out one of the explorations and then share as a group with the whole class what they learned from their section.

The Color of My Words

The Color of My Words
By: Lynn Joseph
Multicultural/International Literature

This book is about a girl named Ana Rosa, who lives in the Dominican Republic with her family. Although being a writer in the Dominican Republic wasn't usual for someone, Ana Rosa wants nothing more than to be a writer when she grows up. During this time only the President was able to write freely, and according to Ana Rosa; many writers who where brave enough to "hurl words at our government, have died." Knowing that she loved to write, her mother encouraged her to keep quiet with her writing until she left the island. Since her family didn't have enough money to buy her a notepad, she stole her brothers notepad that he used for work. When Ana claims to see a "sea monster" in the Samana Bay, the village asks her to write an article about it. Everyone is proud of her story her brother even agrees to buy her a notebook every month for her writing. The "sea monster" turns out just to be a humpback whale and eventually leaves the bay. Ana Rosa's father teaches her to dance by listening to the "music of the sea" and she gets excited when she tries to use this new ability to win over her crush, Angel. Angel is her brother Guario's best friend. Unfortunately, Angel is more interested in Angela at the Christmas fiesta. Ana Rosa's Papi drinks a lot, especially on Sundays, and always asks her "I'm your Papi, right?" Then one day a stranger on a mule gives her five pesos and she learns from her mother that the stranger was her real father. She is upset, but decides that her family is still her family no matter what. The government wants to buy their village's land and Guario takes the lead in standing up for his village. Since the land has already been sold, they have no choice but to try and fight back with words. Because of the strong love she has for her brother, Ana Rosa decides to write an article that is printed in three different newspapers. Even though her mother was unhappy, everyone in the village was on their side. Their work is unsuccessful and the engineers come the next day to tear down the village. Guario decides the only way to fight now is with violence. They gather bats, broken bottles and stones and head out to face the workers. Unfortunately, the day that happens to be Ana Rosa's birthday also turns out to be the day of her brother's death. He had been killed and she felt responsible. She stops writing and doesn't start back until 6 months later when they finally celebrate her birthday and give her a typewriter (which was an idea of her brothers). She decides that what she will write next will be Guario's story.


This is a good book to expose students to other cultures because it presents things about the types of celebrations/fiestas they have, the kinds of foods they eat and the dances of the Dominican Republic. It also has random Spanish words used throughout the reading that can be easily understood or translated. This book also has various pages with sections that present comprehension and thought questions for the reader to use. These sections include questions about things like "before you move on, characters motives, setting and what will happen next." At the bottom of each page there is also an interpretation for phrases in bold. For example: examined=looked at, my cheeks were hot with shame=my cheeks turned red because I was embarrassed. This book also contains various poems that Ana Rosa wrote during her experience. This could be used in the classroom as a way to present your students with an idea of what the Dominican Republic is like. This can also provide the opportunity to discuss how important it is to appreciate the country we live in because we have very few restrictions. You could have your students write poems about something they experience or see, which will be similar to the poems Ana Rosa wrote.

Leah's Pony

Leah's Pony
By: Elizabeth Friedrich
Illustrated by: Michael Garland
Historical Fiction

This story is about a young girl whose family lives on a farm. Leah's father buys her a black and white pony and teaches her how to put the saddle on just right. Her pony is beautiful and during the summer she rides it through the corn pastures and cornfields into town. Their family is faced with hard times because of the Great Depression and Leah's mother has to make her underwear out of flour sacks. After watching their neighbors moved to Oregon in hopes for a better life, Leah's father realizes that they are going to have to sell everything, including the animals, truck and tractor. Leah realizes without the tractor, her family will have to give up the farm. Leah decided she has to sell her pony to Mr. B, the grocery store owner who thinks it's the finest pony in the country. She uses the dollar she received from selling her pony to bid on the tractor for her family. This selfless act encourages others to purchase the rest of the items for a small cost and give all of the things back to the family. Leah goes into the barn later to find that Mr. B returned her pony with a note that read, "This is the finest pony in the country. But he's just a little too small for me and a little bit too bog for my grandson. He fits you much better."

This book can be used in the classroom as a way to show students that doing something good for others simply out of the goodness of your heart can sometimes cause good things to happen to them. You could have your students do a selfless act and then write about and then discuss how it made the other person or themselves feel. If they got a good feeling from doing the act, you can then ask them to write a list of other simple things they could do and encourage them to carry out these things. To use technology you could have your students use the Inspiration program to make a map of the literary elements in this book.

Nothing's Fair in Fifth Grade

Nothing's Fair in Fifth Grade
By: Barthe DeClements
Realistic Fiction

This book is told from the perspective of a fifth grade student named Jenifer. Jenifer and the rest of her classmates make jokes and rude comments about the new girl Elise. They call her "gross,disgusting and fat." Elise's mother tells the teacher Mrs. Hanson that Elise is not allowed to eat anything for lunch besides what is in her lunch box. Elise gets in trouble with Mrs. Hanson when she begins to eat other students lunch. Elise learns they she can no longer ask her classmates for their food because she will be in trouble with the teacher. When lunch money begins to disappear, everyone suspects Elise, especially since Jenifer saw her in the store buying candy with two quarters. While Jenny is getting D's in math, Elise gets a 100 on every assignment. After Elise is embarrassed in front of the whole class when her skirt falls down, Jenny has the idea to ask Elise to be her math tutor. Jenny's mom agrees to pay Elise 50 cents an hour so she can pay back all the kids lunch money that she took. Just when things are starting to go slightly better for Elise, Mrs. Hanson accuses her of stealing the book money envelope, which she just happened to misplace. With Elise help in math, Jenny's grades began to improve and their friendship grew as well. They began to hang out more and Jenny became Elise only friend, not even her own mother seemed to like her very much. When all of the girls decide to get a ride from a stranger to the mall, he turns the wrong way and everyone else jumps out at the light expect for Elise's younger sister. Elise becomes extremely upset because she knows her mother will for sure send her to boarding school now. Luckily, Mrs. Hanson is able to talk Elise's mother into letting her return to school in the fall by telling her she is the top student and has been helping other students do better in school. In the end, Elise loses a lot of weight and is happy because she can see her shoes for the first time in two years, not to mention she has made best friends.

I think this book could be implemented in the classroom in various ways. For one, you could discuss with your students how important it is to be healthy and the dangers of becoming obese. This can be a lesson where you stress to them the importance of eating healthy and exercising and the many ways they can do this. You can also take the opportunity to talk with your students about how people come from different types of homes. It is essential that they know that someone should never be made fun of because of their weight or any other trait. Discuss with them how they shouldn't make judgments about people without really getting to know them first. You can share personal stories of your own with them about judgments you have made that turned out to be completely wrong. Challenge your students to work with and get to know someone that they normally wouldn't. This can be a good learning experience not only for the classroom, but for the real world as well.

My Name is Maria Isabel

My Name is Maria Isabel
By: Alma Flor Ada
Illustrated by: K. Dyle Thompson
Realistic Fiction

This book is about the story of a young girl whose family moves from Puerto Rico to a new town. When they move, Maria Isabel is sad about leaving her friends and nervous about attending a new school. On her first day of school her teacher decides that because there are already two students named Maria in the class she will call her Mary Lopez. Her full name is Maria Isabel Salazar Lopez, all which are names she got from relatives. Every time her teacher calls on her or asks her a question, she becomes angry with Maria Isabel because she doesn't respond. Maria becomes embarrassed and misses out on opportunities, including the school play because she isn't used to being called Mary Lopez and therefore doesn't know when the teacher is calling on her. Maria Isabel struggles with finding someone to talk to about the issue. A couple days before the play her teacher asks the class to write a paper called "My greatest wish..." Maria Isabel takes this as the opportunity to say she wishes she could be called Maria Isabel Salazar Lopez so that she won't have to miss out on things like being in the play. After reading her paper, the teacher calls her by her real name and ask her to sing in the play.

This book would be great to show students how hard it can be to stand up for yourself. You can use this as an opportunity to talk to your students about finding someone to talk to when something is bothering them. It could be great to read this book on one of the first days of school and let your students know that if they ever have a problem they can come to you. It is also a good book for teachers, because it shows how important it is to ask your students what names they prefer to be called. Students could participate in a group discussion and share something interesting about their name or where it came from. You could even have your students make their own name tags for what they would like you to call them.

The Smallest Cow in the World

The Smallest Cow in the World
By: Katherine Paterson
Illustrator: Jane Clark Brown
Fiction

This is a great book for children who have moved to a new town or school and may feel lonely or unhappy. A young boy named Marvin lives on a dairy farm with his parents and his sister May. While the family helps take care of the animals on the farm, Marvin grows particularly found of Rosie a cow that is disliked by everyone else for being mean. When Mr. Brock, the owner of the farm, decides to sell the land, Marvin's family must move to a new home. While everyone in Marvin's family found a new life filled with happiness, Marvin thought of Rosie and became sad. His parents tried to make him happy by offering him a kitten or a toy truck, but the only thing Marvin really wanted was to see Rosie again. Frustrated he acted out drawing on walls, pulling up the flowers in his mothers garden, but he blamed it all on Rosie. She had come back, but was now the smallest cow in the world because her last owner was a witch, who made her small for being so mean. When Marvin took his imaginary cow to school with him he got picked on by his classmates. May had the idea to tell Marvin that the imaginary Rosie was having a calf and she would have to stay home from school to take care of him. Marvin agreed and made sure that if they moved again that Rosie could always go with them. His family thought that sounded like a good idea and Marvin was happy that Rosie would never have to be alone again.

I loved that this book could be used to help children adapt to moving and how they can use their imagination when they feel alone. In the classroom, you could have your students think about and even write how they would feel if they moved to a new town and what kinds of things they would do to cheer themselves up. This can be a great lesson to show children that they should be appreciative when they see someone with a vivid imagination as opposed to picking on them.

The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks

The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks

By: Nancy McArthur

Science Fiction

This book is an interesting chapter book that both 4th and 5th graders and even adults would enjoy. It talks about the life of two brothers who are extreme opposites. While Michael is a messy and leaves trash all over the floor of their bedroom, Norman is a neat freak and can't stand the way Michael is. While Michael was careless about how messy the room became, Norman struggled to keep Michael's mess from "leaking" onto his side of the room. After Michael receives two seeds in the mail...the fun begins. He and his brother then plant them and watch as they grow. While Michael feeds his plant junk food, Norman decides to feed his plant more healthy foods. Once both of the boys begin sneaking their plants fertilizer, both of the plants grow unexpectedly tall and the boys start to notice that their dirty socks are slowly disappearing. The brothers and their parents then struggle to keep their secret from their friends and community. This book was funny and kept me continuously wondering what would happen next.

An easy and fun way to implement this book in the classroom would be to let the students plant and grow their own plants throughout the school year. You could allow them to feed their plants any kind of food they want and see how it affects the growth of their plants. It can be really fun for children because they may decide to feed their plant junk food like Michael or basic plant foods. You could also discuss with students the life cycle of a plant and what kinds of things help plants grow. If students have not read the next book: "Return of the Plant That Ate Dirty Socks," you could have them write their own short story of what they think will happen next.