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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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 

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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