Players in Pigtails

 

Players in Pigtails

Written By: Shana Corey

Illustrated By: Rebecca Gibbon

Scholastic Inc., 2003

28 Pages

 

     I chose this book, because the cover of the book interested me.  It looked like it might have been set in an earlier time period.   The book is about a girl named Katie Casey.  She does not fit in with the other girls at school.  She is not good at cooking in her home ec class or knitting or dancing.  The only thing Katie was interested in was baseball.  Her parents were not happy and wanted her to do what all the other girls were doing.  Katie enjoyed going to watch the professional baseball games.  She like it so much, wanted to try out in the spring.  But, the boys told her that she could not play, because she was a girl.  They never wanted to look into it, but the sport was beginning to get lost; men were going off to war.  Finally, the owner of one of the professional baseball leagues decides that the women should be given a chance.  He begins to look for girls to play ball.  When he saw how good Katie Casey was, he asked her to play!  Katie decides to go play in the league.  The girls had to practice hard and maintain lady like appearances.  But it was worth it in the end, the team played a wonderful first game.  The audience was astounded!

 

     I love the illustrations in this book.  They are done with water colors.  The colors are all very soft.   I think the artist did a great job portraying what the setting of the story would have looked like.  I really like the way she drew the player’s uniforms and the people’s clothing.  The story is very easy to follow because of the pictures.  You can tell that the illustrator really took the time to think about how to make her audience visualize the story.

 

     I would use this book to teach my class the importance of diversity and how everybody is different.  I would also relate the story to them and tell them to always follow their dreams no matter what people think; it is alright to be different.  I would have my students write about what they want to be when they grow up.  I could also have them write about a time when they felt left out or like they did not fit in with the rest of their peers.  I could also use this book to teach a history lesson and explain that girls really did play ball at one time; it would be a great introduction to a history lesson.  I think that this book would be appropriate for first through third grade. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Ginger Bread Man: Loose in the School

The Ginger Bread Man: Loose in the School

Written By: Laura Murray

Illustrated By: Mike Lowery

Scholastic Inc., 2011

28 Pages

 

     I chose this book, because I thought it would be a great book to use for the Christmas holidays.  The book is told in the ginger bread man’s point of view.  In the beginning of the book, he talks about how children made him and he was put together with ingredients, then rolled into dough, and placed in the oven.  When he is ready, the children take him out of the oven.  But then it is time for the children to go play outside; they leave him behind.  The ginger bread man decides to run after them, but he gets lost.  He winds up in the gym first.  The coach notices that a part of his toe has fallen off and tells him to go to the nurse, first.  The nurse says they had passed by a little while ago and sends him to the art teacher; they weren’t in the art room, either.  The art teacher tells the ginger bread man to go to the principal.  The principal tells him that the class has been looking for him and takes him back to his classroom!  The class is so glad to have their ginger bread man back!  The ginger bread man is proud of himself for finding the class. 

 

    The artist did the illustrations using water color paint.  The illustrations in this book are broken into steps and segments.  The process that the children go through to make the gingerbread man is shown step by step.  The ginger breads journey around the school is also shown this way.  The steps are shown in boxes with the text over them.  I thought this was a really great way to present the sequence of the book.  There are also maps of the school that show where the class has been and where the ginger bread man will be going.  I think this helps, because the reader can see where all of the rooms are and where the ginger bread man is. 

 

     I would use this book to do a lesson on the ordering of events in a story.  I would have a map of the school like what is in the book.  After I read the story, I would have the class show me what order the ginger bread man moves around in the school.  I could also have a sequence activity where they explain how the children made the ginger bread man.  The ginger bread man never gives up trying to find his class; another activity would be to have them write about a time when they were determined to do something and never gave up on what they wanted to accomplish.  I could also have them make their own ginger bread men or do a ginger bread man craft.  This book would be most appropriate for kindergarten through second grade.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diary of a Fly

Diary of a Fly

Written By: Doreen Cronin

Illustrated By: Harry Bliss

HarperCollins Publishers, 2007

32 Pages

Picture Book

 

     I picked this book, because it is by the same author of Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type and Duck for President; I really liked both of those books.  The book is about entries that a fly has written in his journal about things he does at school.  The story is kind of funny because it shows what a fly would be doing in school and contrasts certain things to humans.  He talks about flight class and a writing project where he writes about his life.  He writes about his life cycle from the time he is an egg to now.  There are also facts in the book about flies.  Fly’s mother tells him that he can’t have a room to himself, because he has 327 other siblings.  On one page he also says he learns how many times a fly moves their wings; he says that it is 200 times per minute.  In the end of the story, Fly talks about having 4,000 lenses in his eyes, and how he could be a great superhero.

    

     The illustrations in this book are really detailed.  There are a lot of pictures that explain journal entries from fly about school or what he is thinking.  I love how humor is brought into this story by comparing a fly’s school life to humans. The illustrations are done in water color.  They are proportioned large to show how the fly is small.  All of the other objects or people in the book are larger.  I thought the artist did a great job.

 

     I would use this book to explain the importance of writing and relate this to my student’s writing journals.  I would get them to compare and contrast how they do things in school as opposed to what Fly does.  I would have my students write about this or make a picture book where they draw things that they do in school and things that Fly does on the other side.  They could also write a short sentence explaining their drawing.  Another idea I could do is to have them make their own little diary flip book about various things they have done throughout the school year.  This way, more purpose would be incorporated into their writing.  I could also have students make a fly craft and write facts about the fly from the book.  I think this book is appropriate for kindergarten, first grade, and second grade.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chicks and Salsa

Chicks and Salsa

Written By: Aaron Reynolds

Illustrated By: Paulette Bogan

Bloomsbury U.S.A Children’s Books, 2005

29 Pages

Picture Book

 

     I chose this book because of its illustrations on the front cover.  The book is about some farm animals that live on Mr. Nuthatcher’s farm.  The chickens on the farm decide they don’t want to eat chicken feed anymore. The rooster wants to find an answer to the problem.  While he is sitting on the fence outside the house, he notices that the farmer’s wife is watching a cooking show.  Then, it hits him…SALSA.  Then, the rooster takes the chickens to the garden to get tomatoes and onions; then, they eat chips and salsa.  Seeing the chickens eat their salsa makes the ducks on the farm realize that they don’t want to eat fish anymore.  The ducks also go to the garden; they pick out cilantro and garlic.  That evening, the ducks eat guacamole.  Since all of these wonderful smells were coming from the farm, the pigs decided they didn’t want to eat their slop, either.  With help from the rooster, the pigs go to the garden and grab some beans and chiles.  After cutting up the chiles, the pigs made some nachos.  After the farm animals smell all of these savory foods come together, they decide to have a fiesta!  The animals want to make enchiladas for the fiesta, so they go back to the garden.  But this time, all of their southwestern food is gone!  Then they see Mrs. Nuthatcher in her kitchen making tamales for the fair! The farm animals decide to cancel their party.  But, after the farmer and his wife leave for the fair, the rooster sneaks inside and finds a French cook book.  The rooster fixes crepes, white grapes, and champagne sauce!  And once again the rooster was pleased with his meal!

     The illustrations in this book are very good.  The colors are very vibrant.  They are outlined in black and stand out really well.  The pictures are done in watercolors.  I love how detailed the pictures are.  The illustrations have a great way of portraying what is happening in each scene.  He does a good job depicting the animal’s facial expressions and relaying how they feel throughout the story.  Throughout the book, there are parts where the animals get an ingredient that was not in the garden.  I like how he explains the way the animals are getting these foods by drawing the mouse at the bottom of the page.  The mouse is handing the animals food that he has stolen.

 

     This book would be great to use in teaching a lesson on diversity and how in different cultures people eat different types of food.  I would relate this to my students by asking them what types of foods they liked.  I would also do a poll on foods that they did not like.  For first and second grade, I would have the class write a few sentences about what they did not want to eat and what they would rather eat.  I could let them draw a picture that they liked from the story and write a sentence about that; this could also be used in kindergarten, except, I would only have them draw.  For kindergarten I would have some type of craft where they make a little rooster or chicken.  I think this book would work best for kindergarten to second grade.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Frog on a Bog

A Frog in the Bog

Written By: Karma Wilson

Illustrated By: Joan Rankin

Schuster Children’s Publishing Division, 2003

30 Pages

Picture Book

 

     I chose this book, because of the illustrations on the front and the title.  I thought that it was cute how the title rhymed and was thinking it might be a good book to use for a lesson on rhyming.  The book is about a frog that eats several different types of bugs, while he is sitting on a log.  It starts with the frog eating a flea.  Then he eats a tick and some fleas.  Next, he eats a few flies.  Every time he eats a bug, the frog grows to be bigger and bigger.  After he eats the flies, he eats some slugs and snails.  Then, all of the sudden, the frog sees an alligator! This terrifies the bugs in his mouth! The bugs decide to come back out one by one, because they are afraid of the alligator.  Since all the bugs are gone, the frog gets back to his normal, small size.  But, then the alligator is no longer interested in the frog; he is not a big enough snack.  The frog and bugs both get lucky this time and learn from their experience! The frog will no longer sit on a log; the bugs do not go near the frog, either!

     The illustrations are very easy to understand.  They are painted with water colors.  The artist does a great job of depicting the swamp.  She uses very bland, dull green and brown colors; this helps show what a real swamp or bog might look like, because they are usually not very bright; sunlight is a minimum in these places.  I also liked how the artist drew a separate picture of each bug the frog ate and put it above the words; this also helps to show the order that the frog eats the bugs.  Each time a new bug is added, the picture above the words change. 

   I would use this book to teach sequence of events, rhyming patterns, and reading comprehension.  I would have actual pictures of the frog and the bugs he eats.  The students would have to come up and put the pictures in order.  I would also have my students tell what the three major parts of the story were (beginning, middle, end).  For kindergarten, I would do a lesson that focused mainly on rhyming words.  I would point out all of the words that rhymed.  After the story, I would ask a few sequencing questions, to make sure that they understood the main idea of the story.  Then, I would give them choices of words that rhymed or didn’t rhyme to test how well they are recognizing rhyming words and patterns.  Because this book has a variety of different topics to teach, I think it would be appropriate for kindergarten to second grade. 

 

      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Duck for President

Duck for President

Written By: Doreen Cronin

Illustrated By: Betsy Lewin

Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division, 2004

37 Pages

Picture Book

 

     I decided to pick this book because of its title.  I thought it would be a good book for teaching students about running for president.  I also noticed that the book was written by the same author as Click, Clack Moo: Cows That Type; the book is also set on Mr. Brown’s farm.  When the farmer realizes how much work he has to do each day, he decides to make the animals on the farm do the work, instead.  He leaves a note that tells the pigs, cows, sheep, and duck what to do.   Duck was not happy about his chores.  He decided that they needed to have an election and vote out Farmer Brown.  The animals make a sign campaigning for duck to be in charge of the farm.  After voting, the animals post the numbers on the barn door.  Duck wins, but he finds out that he doesn’t like being in charge of the farm.  He has so much work to do! Duck decides he want to run for governor, instead.  Duck also wins this election, but he realizes that being governor is hard work, also; he decides to leave his office and run for president! He wins! Duck finds that being president is very challenging….until he sees Farmer Brown’s job ad in the paper for a duck.

  The illustrations in this book are very good.  They look just like the pictures in Click Clack Moo.  I love the bold outlines of the pictures.  The illustrations are done in watercolor paint.  The proportion sizes of the pictures look great.  On the scenes where Farmer Brown and the animals are leaving signs on the barn door, the notes take up the page; the campaigns that duck writes are depicted really well.  The results of the voting are drawn close up as well.  I love how the artist emphasizes these aspects in her illustrations. It makes the story really easy to understand.  I also like how humor is incorporated.  On one page, the duck is marking out a height requirement for the voters, because he does not fit this regulation; the mice on the farm are standing all around him.

  I would use this book to teach students about the presidential election process.  Depending on the grade level, I would also use the term democracy to describe what type of government was used in this book for the way the animals voted (vocabulary building); I would relate these events to how our government works.  If I were using the book in first grade and up, I would have my students write about what they would do if they were president.  For first grade, I would have them color a duck and write three things they would change or do if they were president.  I would also have my kindergarteners do this activity, but it would require less writing.  For second and third grade, I would use this book as writing prompt; students would write a few sentences about what they would do if they were president.  Even though this book could be used in kindergarten, I feel as though it would be more appropriate for grades first through third.  This book did not receive a Caldecott Award, but it was named a New York Times Best Illustrated Book in 2004, as well as an NAAP Honor.  The book was also recognized  by  the Children’s Choice Book Council and Arkansas Diamond Primary Book Award Master List.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chameleon's Colors

Chameleon’s Colors

Written and Illustrated By: Chisato Tashiro

Translated By: Marianne Martens

North South Books, Inc, 2003

27 Pages

Picture Book

 

     I decided to pick this book, because I thought it would be a great book to use to teach colors.  It is about a chameleon that does not like being able to change colors; it makes it hard for people to see him when he blends in with his surroundings.  Chameleon explains this to hippo when he almost steps on him. But, Hippo does not understand why he chameleon doesn’t like changing colors.  He is tired of being the same color every day and wishes that he could change colors just like chameleon does.  So, the chameleon comes up with a plan.  He makes squishes some pink flowers and paints Hippo with the juice.   Then, Chameleon decides to make more colors for the other animals.  Chameleon tells the animals, and they agree with his plan, also.  Chameleon begins painting them in all different colors and styles.  Before long, Chameleon has colored all of the animals of the forest.  But, the animals have a problem.  Because of their color changes, they cannot determine their prey or hide.  They are furious at chameleon and go to find him.  They try to push him off a cliff, but Chameleon uses his defense and blends into his surroundings.  And then it begins to rain.  The colors start to fade off of the animals.  The animal’s problems are now over!

     The illustrations in this book are wonderful.  They are done in acrylic paint.  It looks like the artist had them sketched and then painted them; they are extremely detailed.  I love this style of painting and how bright and cheerful the colors are.  The way the artist portrays these colors so vibrantly definitely helps emphasize how colorful and different the animals looked.  The illustrator did a great job of showing how difficult it was for the animals to distinguish one another.  She did this by putting the animals close together so that their colors all blend together.  I love the pictures in this book!

     I would use this book mainly to teach colors in kindergarten.  I would have a chameleon color worksheet for them to decorate.  Another use for this book is to teach a lesson on how everybody is different.  This book portrays friendship as well and could be used to teach companionship.  It could also be used in grades three or four in teaching a science lesson about animal’s defense mechanisms and how diversity in nature is important; I would give them writing prompt about what kind of defense mechanism they would want if they were an animal.  They could also draw a picture of their animal.  Even though the book could be used for lessons in higher grades, I feel as though it is most appropriate for kindergarten to second grade. 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s Hard to Be Five: Learning How to Work My Control Panel

 

Written By: Jamie Lee Curtis

Illustrated By: Laura Cornell

Publishing Company: Harper Collins Publishers, 2004

31 Pages

Picture Book 

     I choose this book because of its title.  Based on the title, I thought it would be a great book to use for kindergarten.  I also noticed it was written by Jamie Lee Curtis.  I did not know that she wrote children’s books!  This is a very encouraging book for students in kindergarten.  It is about a little boy who is transitioning from being at home to coming to school every day.  Even though the boy is the character in the book, the story is told in an outside point of view that represents what five year olds have to go through on a day-to-day basis at school.  The boy talks about how different it is for him at home now as well as school.  He has a little brother who can get away with things much easier than he can and is more in the spotlight now, since his brother goes to school.  The boy also talks about wanting to play in the dirt, but, since he has school, he doesn’t have as much time for that anymore.  He describes school as being scary and strange.  The boy talks about how hard it is to stay still in school and how he has to walk to places all by his self.  But, after the boy has been in school for a while, he realizes that he likes his new found independence.  He has learned how to do all these new things at school and feels much more capable of doing what is asked of him.  The boy feels confident and proud; his control panel is now working smoothly!

     I love the illustrations in this book! The artist uses bright, vibrant water colors.  The pictures really have a way of jumping out at you.  My favorite part of the illustrations is how detailed they are.  When you open the book, there is a picture of the boy’s control panel. This includes a button for his mom, dad, brother, teacher, and manners.   I thought this was very neat.  It explains the meaning of the title, also.  The artist also chooses to make a bunch of steps leading up to the school; this shows how scary it is for the little boy.  The illustrator also uses words in her pictures to explain the boy’s thoughts.  At the end of the book, there is another control panel picture that shows his improvement. 

 

     While the book could be used up until third grade, I feel as though it is more appropriate for kindergarten.  I would ask my class questions and discuss how the character in the story changed from his first day of school to the end of the school year.  I would use this book for the second day of school and have my students relate their first day of school to the way the boy in the story felt.  I would also do an arts activity to go along with the story.  I would make each one of them a person out of construction paper and let them draw their control panel.  If I used this book in a higher grade, I would have my students write about their first day of school.  This book has not won a specific honor; however, Jamie Lee Curtis is a New York Times Best Selling author.

 

 

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves

Written By: Lucille Colandro

Illustrated By: Jared Lee

Scholastic Inc., 2010

30 pages

Picture Book 

     I decided to pick this book, because I had read a book by this author last semester and really liked it.  I thought it was super cute.  It is about an old lady who keeps swallowing certain items that pertain to fall.  The first item she swallows is some leaves.  Next, she swallows a shirt; then she swallows a pumpkin, a pole, a pair of pants, and some rope.  Every time she intakes an item, a reason is gradually given for why she swallowed it; For example, she swallows the shirt after the leaves, in order to fill it will the leaves.  These explanations are followed by the repeating line, “Perhaps she’ll sneeze!”  These reasons are also given in an order that build up to the ending.  The last item she swallows is some hay.  After she intakes the hay, she finally sneezes and all of the items come back up in the form of a scarecrow! 

     The illustrations in this book are intricately sketched by the artist.  Warm colors are used throughout this book.  The colors are light, but vibrant.  There is a drawing for each item the old lady swallows; therefore, each scene is easily depicted by the reader.   Another aspect that makes the book easy to understand is the way the illustrator draws the old lady.  She makes her mouth really big to emphasize that she is actually ingesting these items.  The different pieces that the lady swallows are also portrayed as the scarecrow is being built.  For example, the artist sketches a page that illustrates how the pole holds up the pumpkin, the pumpkin wears the shirt, and the shirt is filled with the leaves.  I think it is important to have pictures like these, because it helps students comprehend the book. 

     I would definitely use this book to teach a reading lesson on the sequence of events in stories and have the students tell me the order afterwards.  This would allow tell me how much they comprehending.  I would also make a visual aid of the old lady and show her eating all of the different pieces throughout the book.   I did this in my previous practicum with another one of these stories; it worked really well.  I could also use this book to do a short weather lesson on the fall season at the beginning of the year.  Another lesson that could be made from this story is one on rhyming.  I feel like the age group for this book would work best for either kindergarten or first grade. 

 

 

 

 

 

Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type

Written by: Doreen Cronin

Illustrated by: Betsy Lewin

Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division, 2000

29 pages

Picture Book

 

        I chose this book because I was interested in what the title of the book meant.  I had previously seen the book in Scholastic and was going to order it, but decided to order something else instead, because I had no clue what the title meant and had never heard of the book.  But, when I saw the same book at the library again a week later, I knew I had to find out more about it.  The story begins with a farmer (Farmer Brown) who has a problem with his cows.  The cows like to type on a typewriter that they have found in their barn.  Farmer Brown does not believe that his cows are typing at first, until he finds a note that they have written him, saying they would like some electric blankets.  He finds this ridiculous and tells them they cannot have the blankets.  So, the cows write him back saying that they are closed and the farmer cannot have their milk. The farmer’s hens also go on strike, because they also want blankets. The farmer writes them back demanding they give him milk and eggs; the cows hold a meeting.  Then, the cows tell the farmer that they are willing to exchange their typewriter for some electric blankets, explaining that duck will bring him the typewriter; the farmer agrees.  But, the next morning he receives a note from the ducks…. This is a very cute book!

     The illustrations were done with black watercolors.  After the artist drew them, she had them photocopied and put onto another type of watercolor paper.  Then, she added color to the black paintings.  She chose this method because it allowed her to see what colors she liked best. I love the colors that the artist used.  I think the technique she used turned out really well.  The pictures are very large, but detailed.  The black outlines make the pictures stand out nicely.  It is not hard to depict what is happening in the story at all.  This book actually won a Caldecott Honor in 2001.  

     I would use this book to explain how to compromise with friends.   It would also be a great book to teach on the importance of writing and reasons why we write.  I could have the class write a letter to their friends or to their parents about what they want for their birthday or Christmas.  I could also have them write about a time when they did not get what they wanted and what compromise they could have made that might have changed the outcome of the situation.  This book could also be used to teach sequencing of events.  The vocabulary in the book is another aspect that could be incorporated.