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.