Book Trailer: Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White

https://youtu.be/Ra5SRGZXjWY

Here is the link to the book trailer I created for Charlotte’s Web! I hope you enjoy this trailer, and that watching it motivates you to use this book with your students in your own classrooms.

Book Talk: Coat of Many Colors by Dolly Parton

https://youtu.be/NFofq6r61v4

Here is the link to my book talk on the Coat of Many Colors by Dolly Parton! I hope you will pick up this book and read about this heartwarming story based on the childhood of singer/songwriter Dolly Parton.

Book Blog #10: Rumpelstiltskin by The Brothers Grimm, Adapted by Paul O. Zelinsky

Rumpelstiltskin

Written by The Brothers Grimm, Illustrated and Adapted by Paul O. Zelinsky

Puffin Books; Reprint Edition, Copyright 1996

Traditional Literature

Plot Summary:

Once upon a time lived a miller and his daughter. They were happy, and lived a good life. One day, the miller met the King and had a conversation with him. The miller was so proud of his daughter, that he began to boast of her abilities. He added that she could spin straw into gold, which she could not. The King believed him, and ordered that the girl be taken to the castle and provided with all the straw that he had. The miller's daughter was asked to spin the straw into gold, like her father said she could. The girl is worried, for she cannot actually spin straw into gold! She fears for her life, when suddenly inside her chamber, a little man appears. Who is this little man? Can he help the girl with her problem? Will there be a price to pay? Find out by reading Rumpelstiltskin. 

Illustrations: Paul O. Zelinsky gives a new life to this classic fairy tale by using oil paintings with warm hues to illustrate the story of Rumpelstiltskin. The warm hues of blush red, blue, and golden yellow give realistic characteristics to the people, places, and events happening in the story. The pictures almost seem as if they are "glowing" in order to emphasize that, while including characters that are lifelike, this story is fantasy. 

I would use this book in a 3rd-4th grade reading lesson. This book is a good example of traditional literature in that it is a story passed down from generation to generation, with some varieties in different versions of the story told (or heard of) by different authors. I could introduce the genre of traditional literature to my students by showing them other examples of this story and how it varies from what we read. This story also has some good moral lessons in it. For example, the girl learns what happens when she makes a promise that she has to keep, and Rumpelstiltskin learns what happens when he is too proud and cocky-assuming that he has "won." My students will benefit from reading this book in that they will learn about the genre of traditional literature, and be engaged in reading a classic fairy tale.

Book Blog #9: A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein

A Light in the Attic

Written and Illustrated by Shel Silverstein

HarperCollins Publishing, Copyright 1981

Poetry

Plot Summary:

This book of poems by Shel Silverstein includes silly stories that allow the reader to look at ordinary objects and people in a different way. Meet Backward Bill, Sour-faced Anne, and many more wacky characters and become enraptured by how the rhyming words are used to tell their stories.  Read A Light in the Attic to find out about some wacky, silly, and sometimes crazy characters in Shel Silverstein's attic!

Illustrations: Shel Silverstein also illustrated this book. The drawings are portrayed using a single-stroke technique, with no color. Many of the drawings are very detailed, and like the characters you meet in the book, sometimes wacky and out of place. Many of the illustrations are the kind of pictures where, if you keep looking, you will start to see more and more details than you saw when you looked at it for the first time. This is true when reading Silverstein's work also, because as you read the poems a second or third time, you might notice something that is said that you didn't notice the first time you read it. The illustrations give life to Silverstein's words that portray the exact kind of wacky image that comes to mind when reading how he describes each character. 

I would use this book in a 4th-6th grade reading lesson. I could use this book to teach on the topics of rhymes, rhyming words, theme, and author's purpose. Shel Silverstein often has a habit of writing poems or stories with hidden meanings, so it would be useful to ask my students to read and try to decipher why Silverstein wrote each specific poem: Was it just to be silly? Or did he have a reason for writing? I also believe that my students would benefit from seeing a different writing style such as Silverstein's. Exposing children to different types of writing styles will assist them in developing their reading skills!

Book Blog #8: Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan

Esperanza Rising

Written by Pam Munoz Ryan, Illustrated by Joe Cepeda

Scholastic Publishing, Copyright 2016

Historical Fiction

Plot Summary:

Esperanza loved her life. She lived on a beautiful ranch in Mexico with her Mama, Papa, and Abuelita. She wore fancy dresses, and lived in a mansion! One day, her father was tragically killed by bandits. This event threw Esperanza's life into chaos. Esperanza and her mother are forced to move to America, where they believe they will be safe. However, it is 1930; and in America, the Great Depression rages on around them. Will Esperanza and her mother make it in America? Read Esperanza Rising to follow this inspiring story of true grit and hard work coming from a life that gave you everything. 

Illustrations: This book was illustrated by Joe Cepeda. This book is a chapter book, so there are not many illustrations. But, the ones included portray the Mexican heritage that Esperanza comes from, with beautiful images of mountains and gardens in the background; and colors such as yellow, red, and blue being the main palette used. The cover art illustrates Esperanza literally "rising," which could point to how she was ripped from her old life so quickly, and how she rises above the challenges presented before her as she starts her life in America. 

I would use this book in a 6th grade social studies lesson. This book has many historical events embedded in the story, such as the Great Depression, that I could use to give relevance to what really happened in America during that time. This book also gives perspective from the viewpoint of people living in Mexico during that time, so it gives my students an insight to what was happening in both countries. The theme of this book centers around hard work to get what you need, and want. My students would benefit from learning about this theme, because the value of hard work is important, and it is a necessary life skill. 

Book Blog #7: Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Wonder 

Written and Illustrated by R.J. Palacio

Knopf Books for Young Readers, Copyright 2012

Realistic Fiction

Plot Summary:

 After 27 surgeries, August "Auggie" Pullman finally gets to go to school for the first time. Previously, his physical disability prevented him from attending. Fifth grade, however, is a jungle! Auggie is worried he won't fit in, and he is worried about what people will think of his disability. Auggie has so much that he wants to teach his friends, family, and the world about acceptance, love, and friendship. Read this book to go on a journey with Auggie as he makes a difference, and as he truly inspires everyone he meets to love without judgement.

Illustrations: Though this book is a chapter book, and therefore has little illustrations, the ones that are included are whimsical varieties of many "ordinary" objects and people, but drawn in a different way. For example, on the cover, there is a drawing of a boy with only one eye. This could point to the fact that the book centers around a boy who has a facial deformity/disability, or it could also point to the message the book is trying to send: that many people see the world and the people in it with "one eye," or looking without really seeing. The illustrations convey the theme of the story in that just because something looks different, doesn't mean we should judge. Author and illustrator R.J. Palacio literally asks us through her illustrations not to "judge a book by its cover!"

I would use this book in a 3rd through 6th grade social studies lesson! This book is a wonderful example of how we can be kind to everybody, even if they look different. Through reading this book, I could teach my students the true value of friendship and kindness. There are many students who have disabilities in any school you go to, so it would help these students also in relating to Auggie, and expressing their feelings about having a disability. I believe this book would start many good conversations between me and my students, and also between my students themselves and their friends. 

Book Blog #6: The Street Beneath My Feet by Charlotte Guillain

The Street Beneath My Feet

Written by Charlotte Guillain, Illustrated by Yuval Zommer

Words & Pictures Publishing, Copyright 2017

Nonfiction

Plot Summary: 

This topsy-turvy book illustrates all the wonders around us and under our feet that we don't see. Take a journey through the underground happenings of city life and country life, all the way down to the Earth's core! Learn about the layers of the Earth, the differences between urban and rural settings, underground animals, and the natural history that is our Earth. Adventure awaits reading this wonderful insight into the life opposite ours.

Illustrations: This book is illustrated by Yuval Zommer. Zommer gives a realistic insight to what is going on in the ground below through his depictions of city life, country life, and the layers leading to the core of the Earth. This book is a flip-book, meaning that the reader can open up flaps and layers to expose more writing and illustrations. Zommer seamlessly blends his illustrations from one page to the next, as well as from top to bottom, horizontally, diagonally, and vertically. Allowing the reader to flip open layers of the book and see things in a different way also gives depth to the meaning/theme of the story. Many vibrant colors are used in this book to illustrate that the life below is not just "dirt," it is many things happening at once to keep our Earth thriving. 

I would use this book for a K-2 Science lesson! This book offers wonderful inside looks into the underground happenings from the city, the country, and deep down into the layers of the Earth. I believe my students would benefit from reading this book, in that it gives them perspective into what is happening around them. This book also has many good descriptions and pictures of scientific principles, such as explaining the life cycles of animals and insects underground, and explaining the layers of the Earth.