Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Author: Judith Viorst

Illustrator: Ray Cruz

Genre: Fiction

Ages: 6 and up

Themes: Friendship, Family, School

Summary: Alexander wakes up one morning and everything that can go wrong, does. He is having an awful day and with each thing he does, Alexander's day gets worse. 

Pre-Reading Activity: Talk about what makes a good day or a bad day. Make a T chart to list characteristics of each.

Post-Reading Activity: Write the different events from the story on sentences strips. Let students work together to put the sentence strips in the order that they happened in the story. Discuss how all of these events happened over the span of one day. 

Reflection: Students will love the humor in this book and will be able to relate to some of the events that happen to Alexander in this story. 

About the Author

Judith Viorst

Judith Viorst has written many books for children. One of the books she has written is Just in Case, illustrated by Diana Cain Bluthenthal. She lives with her husband in Washington, D.C.

(www.barnesandnoble.com)

Harold and the Purple Crayon

Harold and the Purple Crayon

Author: Crockett Johnson

Genre: Fiction

Ages: 3 and up

Themes: Imagination, Drawing

Summary: Harold decides to go for a moonlight walk with his purple crayon. This is the story of Harold and how far his imagination will take him. 

Pre-Reading Activity: Show students the cover of the book and tell them that Harold draws things he wants to see in his world. Ask students what they would draw to make their school better? Their homes better? Their city better? Record these responses. 

Post-Reading Activity: Give students pre-drawn pictures that illustrate a problem Harold may come upon, i.e a kite stuck in a tree, Harold is walking and it starts to rain. Let them use a purple crayon to draw another picture that would help Harold out of the situation. 

Reflection: All the "Harold" books are really good books to use with young children. It is a great way to expand students' imaginations and let them freely express themselves. 

About the Author

Crockett Johnson

Crockett Johnson was the writer and/or illustrator of over 20 books for children. He was also the creator of "Barnaby", one of the most popular comic strips of the 20th century. Mr. Johnson received his art training at New York University and Cooper Union.

(www.barnesandnoble.com)

Caps For Sale

Caps For Sale:

A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys and Their Monkey Business

Author and Illustrator: Esphyr Slobodkina

Genre: Fiction

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Ages: Grades K-4 

Themes: Counting

Summary: A peddler selling his caps wanders around through the countryside wearing the caps on his head. When he gets tired and decides to take a rest, he needs to do some sneaky thinking to outsmart some monkeys.

Pre-Reading Activity: Do a picture walk of the book, discuss with the students what a peddler is and ask them what he is selling. Stop the picture walk right before the peddler throws his hat on the ground and ask students to predict what will happen.

Post-Reading Activity: Read a companion text, Five Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree, let students work together to complete the monkey/banana rhyming game

Reflection: Caps for Sale is a great, classic children's book. There are a lot of extension activities that teachers can do to branch off to other content areas, including math and science. Children love the silliness of this story. 

About the Author

Esphyr Slobodkina

Esphyr Slobodkina was born in the Siberian town of Chelyabinsk in 1908. She immigrated to the United States on a student visa when she was 29. She worked closely with children's author Margaret Wise Brown as an illustrator. 

(www.barnesandnoble.com)

Llama Llama Misses Mama

Llama Llama Misses Mama

Author and Illustrator: Anna Dewdney

Genre: Fiction

Ages: 3-5 years

Themes: School, Family

Summary: Llama llama has to go to school for the first time and is very sad without her mama there with her. Once little llama learns to have fun and makes friends at school, she is very excited to go back again. 

Pre-Reading Activity: Ask students what is something that makes them sad or that they are scared about. Let them draw a picture about it.

Post-Reading Activity: Ask students to discuss what Llama Llama was so worried about in this story. Then discuss what happened that made llama feel better. Let students illustrate on a paper with 2 boxes what they were sad about and what they can do to feel better.

Reflection: This is a great book to use to help students feel more at ease about coming to school or just about any issues that worry them in general. It is a very easy to read story with a lot of rhyming text. 

About the Author

Anna Dewdney

Anna Dewdney is the author/illustrator of many books in the Llama Llama series. She lives in an old hold in Central Vermont and is the mother of two daughter and two dogs. 

(www.barnesandnoble.com)

The Rainbow Fish

The Rainbow Fish

Author: Marcus Pfister

Translator: J. Alison James

Genre: Fiction

Ages: 3-5 years

Themes: Sharing, Friendship

Summary: The Rainbow Fish is one of the most beautiful creatures in the sea. All the other fish and animals love to watch him swim with his shimmery scales. The Rainbow Fish is unhappy until he learns to share and realizes what true friendship is all about. 

Pre-Reading Activity: Ask students to list something they like about the person sitting next to them. Make a list on the board and talk about how each student has something special about them.

Post-Reading Activity: Discuss what was so special about the Rainbow Fish and why all the other fish liked him. Give students each a construction paper "scale" and let them write something great about themselves on there. Add each scale to a large class fish to show that each student is an important part of the class. 

Reflection: This is a great resource to use for many different character aspects that should be taught in elementary school. This book could easily be used to teach about sharing, being a good friend or believing in yourself. 

About the Author

 

Marcus Pfister

Marcus Pfister is the author of many children's books. He has worked as a graphic artist, sculptor, painter and photographer. He lives with his family in Berne, Switzerland. 

(www.barnesandnoble.com)

Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace 

 Author: Mary Hoffman

Illustrator: Caroline Binch

Genre: Fiction

Ages: Grades K-2

Themes: Hard Work

Summary: Grace is a young girl who loves to hear stories. She decides she wants to play the part of Peter in the play Peter Pan at her school. Grace wants the part badly even though she is not a boy and she is African American. Her classmates tell her she can't be Peter because of these things but she is determined to do it anyways. 

Pre-Reading Activity: Predictions about what might happen in the story. Have a list of things that may or may not happen and have the students tell whether they agree or disagree (anticipatory guide).

Post-Reading Activity: Look back over the Anticipatory Guide to see if predictions were correct. Students need to share about a time they wanted something but were told they couldn't do it. Explain how things went and what the obstacles were they had to overcome.

Reflection: This is a great book to use to encourage students to have determination. It is an easy book for students to relate to and they can easily understand issues that Grace faces. 

About the Author

Mary Hoffman

Mary Hoffman was born in a small town in New Hampshire. Her family moved to London when she was three. She has written over 90 books for children and teenagers. She wrote the character of Grace a lot like her own self at nine years old. She loved stories and had a similar personality to Grace's. She was thrilled with how popular her series on Grace became.

(www.barnesandnoble.com)

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

Authors: Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault

Illustrator: Lois Ehlert

Genre: Fiction

Ages: 3-5 years

Themes: Alphabet, Rhyming

Summary: This catchy book with some rhyming text is a journey through the alphabet while each letter ascends the coconut tree in alphabetical order. After all the letters are at the top, they tumble to the ground and the letters are then gathered back up in alphabetical order. 

Pre-Reading Activity: Allow the students to line up and recite the alphabet together, talk about each letter and the sound that it makes

Post-Reading Activity: Assign each student with a different letter of the alphabet and they will choose a word that starts with that letter and illustrate their word. Then each student will share with the class. 

Reflection: This is a great beginning alphabet book to use with young children to introduce the letters of the alphabet. I have used this book in the past with Kindergarten students and they love it because it has such great rhythmic text. It is also a really great book to use to reinforce the letters of the alphabet with older students. 

About the Authors

Bill Martin, Jr. is one of America's favorite children's authors. He wrote more than 300 books for children including Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

John Archambault is a poet, journalist and storyteller who worked with Bill Martin, Jr. on many projects. He lives in Idyllwild, California.

(www.barnesandnoble.com)

Leo the Late Bloomer

Leo the Late Bloomer

Author: Robert Kraus

Illustrator: Jose Aruego

Genre: Fiction

Ages: 3-5 years

Themes: Learning, Family, Friendship

Summary: Leo the lion is not developing at the same rate as many of his friends. He is not able to read, write, draw or speak yet. Leo's father is concerned about this, but his mother assures him that Leo will bloom in his own time. 

Pre-Reading Activity: Have students think about something that they are really good at. Discuss how they learned to do the different things and how it makes them feel to be able to do it. Let students illustrate their activity that they chose on a class poster board. 

Post-Reading Activity: After seeing that sometimes people learn to do things at different times, students may be more comfortable sharing something they are not good at yet. Allow students to discuss something they haven't quite figured out yet and then illustrate those activities on a second class poster board. Make a display using the 2 poster boards titled "We Can Do It" and "We're Still Learning" to demonstrate that it is okay for students to learn things at different rates and that everybody is good at different things. 

Reflection: This is one of my all time favorite children's books. It is a great way to expose students to the idea that sometimes you may not be able to do everything that your friends can do and that's okay. It is a great way to build students' confidence in themselves. 

About the Author:

Robert Kraus

Robert Kraus is the author of Leo the Late Bloomer and Little Louie the Baby Boomer. He lives in New York City.

(www.barnesandnoble.com)

The Kissing Hand

The Kissing Hand 

Author: Audrey Penn

Illustrators: Ruth Harper and Nancy Leak

Genre: Fiction

Ages: Grades K-1

Themes: School, Family, Love

Summary: This is a story about a little raccoon ready to start school. He talks about his fears to his mother, fears that most children have before beginning school. His mother comes up with a wonderful idea to help him remember that she loves him and is thinking about him, even when she isn't with him.

Pre-Reading Activity: Discuss the children's fears and hopes about coming to school. We also discuss how moms and dads might feel when their children are away from them.

Post-Reading Activity: On a large piece of construction paper each child makes a red handprint with paint and then clue a small red heart in the middle. They can draw their family portrait if time allows and then give this as a first day gift to their parents.

Reflection: This is a great book to share with students on the first day of school. Many students are shy or even a little afraid of leaving their parents to come to school. This would also be a good book to use with students who are completely comfortable coming to school to allow them to understand and have compassion for how some of their classmates may be feeling.

About the Author

Audrey Penn

Before beginning writing Audrey Penn was actually a ballerina and choreographer. She has always enjoyed children's literature and decided to begin writing as a creative outlet. As a young girl she would keep silly journals of things that happened to her and eventually she was writing everything that she did. Her youngest daughter inspired her to write The Kissing Hand.

(www.audreypenn.com)

The Snowy Day

The Snowy Day

Author and Illustrator: Ezra Jack Keats

Genre: Fiction

Ages: 3-5 years

Theme: Winter, Snow, Friendship

Summary: The story of a first snowfall of the season, and a little boy's adventures in the city. 

Pre-Reading Activity: Show students a picture of a big snowy hill and ask them to make guesses about what it is. Encourage them to share why they made their guesses. Record the answers on a chart paper. 

Post-Reading Activity: Give students a piece of blue construction paper and a big ball of cotton. Let them make their own snowy creations on the paper. Depending on the grade level, students can write a word or sentence to go with their creation. 

Reflection: This is a fantastic  story to use with primary grades since many times these students don't remember snow from the previous year, or have never experienced a big snowstorm. Students are often very creative with their ideas about what the snowy hill is a picture of and also what they create with their cotton. 

About the Author:

Ezra Jack Keats

Ezra Jack Keats was one of the first authors to create multiethnic picture books for young kids. He began creating children's books in the 1960's and realized there was a lack of books written with African American children as the main character. He has written many best-selling children's books including Whistle for Willie, Peter's Chair and Goggles! Mr. Keats died in 1983. 

(www.barnesandnoble.com)

Every Thing On It

Every Thing On It

Author: Shel Silverstein

Genre: Poetry

Ages: 8-11 years

Themes: Everything

Summary: A collection of never before published poems by this incredible children's poet. These poems are fun to read and will make children laugh out loud as they read them. 

Pre-Reading Activity: Talk about that some poems rhyme and others don't. Show the class a poem from this book that does demonstrate rhyme. Ask them to pick out the rhyming words. 

Post- Reading Activity: Re-read the following poem: When I Am Gone

When I am gone what will you do?

Who will write and draw for you? 

Someone smarter-someone new?

Someone better- maybe YOU!

Discuss what this poem means. Ask students why this is a good poem to end this book? Let them write their own short poem that they think would be good to end a book with. 

Reflection: After reading Shel Silverstein books of poetry growing up, this was a refreshing posthumous publication. The poems stayed true to his style and wit in his past books and it is a book that can be easily used to introduce students to poetry. 

About the Author:

Shel Silverstein

Shel Silverstein is the author-artist of many beloved books of prose and poetry. He was a cartoonist, playwright, poet, performer, recording artist, and Grammy-winning, Oscar-nominated songwriter. Silverstein was a soldier in the U.S. Army in Japan and Korea in the '50s and drew cartoons for Stars and Stripes, the American military publication. His next cartooning gig was for Playboy.

Silverstein wrote several songs. His country-western song "A Boy Named Sue" was a hit for Johnny Cash in 1969. His song for Postcards From the Edge, "I'm Checkin' Out," was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe.

(www.barnesandnoble.com)

Russell's World

Russell's World

Author: Charles A. Amenta

Genre: Non Fiction

Ages: 5-8 years

Themes: Special Needs, Autism

Summary: This is the true story of a nine year old boy named Russell. He is the younger brother of two boys and the story explores how Russell navigates through the world of autism. It demonstrates how he learns from his brothers and how they learn from him.

Pre-Reading Activity: Pair students up and give them the task to make a list of what they know about each other and what they learn from each other. Talk about as a class how everyone is different and each person has something to teach others. 

Post-Reading Activity: Have a brief discussion about what students learned about autism from the book. Engage students in an activity to create posters to raise awareness about autism. 

Reflection: This is a phenomenal book to use with young students to introduce them to autism or expand any previous discussions about differences in people. The language is simple enough to understand and use in primary grades. 

About the Author: 

Charles A. Amenta

Charles A. Amenta III, MD, is in private practice of ear, nose, and throat medicine. He lives with his family in Chicago, Illinois, and is the father of three boys, one of whom has autism.

(www.barnesandnoble.com)

How To Talk to an Autistic Kid

How to Talk to An Autistic Kid

Author: Daniel Stefanski

Genre: Non Fiction

Ages:  Elementary/Middle School 

Themes: Special Needs, Autism

Summary: This book was written by a 14-year old boy who is autistic. He uses the book as a way to describe why autistic children act the way they do and why they do certain things. His goal is to allow both autistic kids and their peers feel comfortable communicating and socializing with one another. 

Pre-Reading Activity: Make a class list about what is the same about everyone in the class, then make another list about what is different about everyone. Discuss both lists and why it is good that people are both alike in ways and different in other ways. 

Post-Reading Activity: Have students write a paragraph about something that makes them unique and what others would like to know about this. Share these with the class.

Reflection: This is a really great resource to introduce kids to differences in peers. I would use this book in the classroom either with an autistic student or without. It is written in a voice that is easy to understand for kids of all ages and opens up a lot for discussion. 

About the Author:

Daniel Stefanski

Daniel Stefanski is fourteen years old and autistic. He has a passion for writing and drawing and likes to declare proudly "I'm autistic and artistic." A talented golfer, Daniel has participated in the Special Olympics and other competitive golf events. At age four, he was adopted from an orphanage in Bulgaria and flew 18 hours with his new mom to his new home in Valparaiso, Indiana. An animal lover and shelter volunteer, Daniel is surrounded by the love of his mom, dad, stepfather, brother, and five dogs.

(www.barnesandnoble.com)

Joyful Noise

Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices

Author: Paul Fleischman

Genre: Poetry

Ages: 6-12 years old

Summary: This wonderful book for children was written to be read by two voices. Some of the poems are funny, some are sad, some are happy, and the way the poems are intended to be read varies as well. Some poems are meant to be alternated between two people, and others are to be read simultaneously.

Pre-Reading Activity: Discuss different elements of poetry, review what personification is and how it is used in poetry. 

Post-Reading Activity: Allow students to pair up and create their own poems meant to be read either simultaneously by two people or in alternating voices. 

Reflection: This is a really great book to use to either introduce children to poetry or to continue with a lesson on poetry. The poems are very engaging and students will enjoy being able to read them together. 

About the Author: 

Paul Fleischman

Paul Fleischman grew up in Santa Monica, California in a house with a printing press, a grand piano, a shortwave radio, and his father—children’s author Sid Fleischman. Playing recorder in early music consorts led to his books of verbal duets—I Am Phoenix, Joyful Noise (winner of the 1989 Newbery Medal), and Big Talk. His novels built from monologues include Bull Run, a 16-character account of the Civil War's first battle, and Seedfolks—the chronicle of the first year of a Cleveland community garden. His interest in theater inspired his young adult novels Mind's Eye, Seek, and Breakout, all of which revolve around the spoken word. His historical fiction includes Saturnalia and The Borning Room. He's written nonfiction and picture books as well, including Time Train, Weslandia, and Sidewalk Circus.

(www.barnesandnoble.com)

Through My Eyes

Through My Eyes

Author: Ruby Bridges

Genre: Non Fiction 

Ages: 8-12 years old

Themes: Integration, segregation

Summary: This is the true story of a 6 year old girl who was chosen to be a part of integrating schools in 1960. It is told by Ruby Bridges and shares her memories, fears and feelings during this tremendous time in her life. 

Pre-Reading Activity: Have the class stand up and separate them by eye color. Tell them they are only allowed to talk to, sit next to and be friends with others who have the same color eyes as them. From this activity lead into a discussion about segregation and what it meant for people during that time. 

Post-Reading Activity: Discuss the pros and cons that Ruby had to deal with in this book. Make a chart and as a class recall how Ruby dealt with each of these things. 

Reflection: This is a very powerful book to use with students. It gives a first hand account of what it was like to live in this situation and be one of the first black children to be integrated into an all-white school. 

About the Author:

Ruby Bridges

Ruby Bridges became a pioneer in school integration at the age of six, when she was chosen to spend her first-grade year in what had formerly been an all-white elementary school. Ruby Bridges now works as a lecturer, telling her story to adults and children alike. She lives with her husband and sons in New Orleans, Louisiana.

(www.barnesandnoble.com)

Wemberly Worried

Wemberly Worried

Author & Illustrator: Kevin Henkes

Genre: Fiction

Ages: 4-8 years

Theme: Mouse, Friendship, School

Summary: A mouse named Wemberly worried about everything. Once nursery school is about to start, Wemberly had a whole new list of things to worry about. 

Pre-Reading Activity: Ask students what they remember about their first day of school. What were they worried about? What did they do to feel better about it? 

Post-Reading Activity: Discuss all the things Wemberly worried about in the book. Then encourage students to notice what letter/sound "Wemberly Worried" starts with and come up with a new list of worries that Wemberly could have that start with the "w" sound. 

Reflection: This is a great book to use at the beginning of the school year, especially in primary grades. Many students will be able to relate to how Wemberly was feeling about school. It also is a great segue to discuss feelings in the classroom. 

About the Author: 

Kevin Henkes

He is the author and illustrator of many books for children of all ages. He was awarded the Caldecott Medal for Kitten's First Full Moon, a Caldecott Honor for Owen, and a Newbery Honor for Olive's Ocean. He lives with his family in Madison, Wisconsin.

(www.barnesandnoble.com)

CLICK, CLACK, MOO Cows That Type

CLICK, CLACK, MOO Cows That Type

Author: Doreen Cronin

Illustrator: Betsy Lewin

Genre: Fiction

Ages: 3-5 years

Theme: Animals, Farms, Compromise

Summary: Farmer Brown has a problem. His cows like to type, but his problem really start when his cows start leaving him notes. This hilarious book shows what lengths Farmer Brown's animals will go to in order to get what they want. 

Pre-Reading Activity: Chart what students know about cows, including what they look like and what their jobs are on a farm.

Post- Reading Activity: Make a farm mobile linking each animal in the book to their job on the farm. After the mobiles are complete, allow students to discuss what the animals bargained for in exchange for doing their jobs. 

Reflection: This is a very funny story to read with early elementary students. It is a great introduction to farm animals and what their roles are on a farm. It can also be used as a way to discuss compromise; what the animals wanted and what they were willing to do to get what they wanted. 

About the Author: 

Doreen Cronin

She is the author of many best-selling picture books, including Thump, Quack, Moo: A Whacky Adventure, Duck for President, and Giggle, Giggle, Quack. She lives in Brooklyn, NY 

(www.barnesandnoble.com)

Miss Nelson is Missing!

Miss Nelson is Missing! 

Author: Harry G. Allard, Jr.

Illustrator: James Marshall

Genre: Fiction

Ages: 5-8 years old

Theme: School, Friendship

Summary: The kids in Miss Nelson's class don't realize how good they have it. Miss Nelson is a kindm easy going teacher and the students take advantage of her. Once they have a "substitute" who is the opposite of Miss Nelson, they realize how lucky they were to have her as a teacher. 

Pre-Reading Activity: Talk about different ways that Miss Nelson could be missing. Allow students to predict what happened to Miss Nelson and where she could be. 

Post-Reading Activity: Create a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting Miss Nelson with Viola Swamp.

Reflection: This is a great book to read to your class at the beginning of the school year and also in preparation for leaving them with a substitute teacher. It is a good reminder that students should follow the rules and appreciate their teachers. 

About the Author:

Henry Allard

He is the author of several hilarious books for children. He currently lives in Oaxaca, Mexico.

(www.barnesandnoble.com)

The Napping House

The Napping House

Authors: Don & Audrey Wood

Illustrator: Don Wood

Genre: Fiction

Ages: 4-6 years

Theme: Animals, Ascending/Descending order, Vocabulary

Summary: The book begins with one character sleeping and with each new page, another character is sleeping on top of the previous one. The authors use different terms for "sleep" with the introduction of each new character. Halfway through the book, the last character wakes up the previous one until everyone is awake and they are no longer napping. 

Pre-Reading Activity: Brainstorm as many words as the students can think of that mean "sleep". 

Post-Reading Activity: As a math extension, talk about how many characters there were in the story, how many feet each character had and then as a class figure out how many feet there were all together. 

Reflection: This is one of my favorite books of all time. It has amazing illustrations and is a great introduction to new vocabulary for early elementary students. There are a lot of different activities you can do with this book ranging from science (weather) to math (counting). I have used this book time and again in my classroom in the past. 

About the Authors:

Don & Audrey Wood

This husband and wife team has created many beloved books for children, including Piggies, Heckedy Pig, and Piggy Pie Po. The Woods live in Hawaii.

(www.barnesandnoble.com)

Do You Want to Be My Friend?

Do You Want to Be My Friend?

Author & Illustrator: Eric Carle

Genre: Fiction

Ages: 3-4 years

Theme: Friendship, Animals

Summary: This book follows a mouse on his quest to find a friend. There is only text on the first page which allows for teachers and students to improvise what happens throughout the book. The mouse follows tail after tail in hopes of finding a friend. 

Pre-Reading Activity: Ask students what it means to be a friend. Brainstorm lists and make a T chart with traits of a good friend and traits of a bad friend. 

Post- Reading Activity: As a class, complete the "Whose Tail Is It? activity. Use the print out and allow students to guess which animal each tail belongs to. This is a good activity to teach students about making reasonable predictions. 

(The print out can be found at : http://www.scribd.com/doc/97752064/Who%E2%80%99s-Tail-Is-It )

Reflection: Eric Carle books are always favorites to use in the classroom. They always teach at least one skill that can be expanded on and have fantastic illustrations. This book is a great starting point for lessons on social emotional skills or character education. 

About the Author:

Eric Carle is the creator of more than seventy picture books for young readers. He was born in Syracuse, NY. When he was six years old he moved with his family to Germany. In 1952 after graduating from the prestigious Akademie der Bildenden Kunste in Stuttgart, he fulfilled his dream of returning to New York. 

(www.barnesandnoble.com)

Welcome to my children's literature blog. I will be posting about different books throughout the semester and welcome any questions and comments.