The Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz

Based on the Story By: L. Frank Baum

Illustrated By: Amanda Gulliver

Parragon Books, 2010

29 Pages

Fantasy 

     I picked this book, because I thought it would be a really great book to teach students about different types of characters.  I also wanted to find out how the new version was written.  It is very similar to the original story.  It has the same characters in it (Dorothy, Toto, Lion, etc.).  It begins with a big storm and Dorothy’s house landing on the Wicked Witch of the East.  And then Dorothy another witch (a good witch) appears to Dorothy and gives her the witch’s shoes; when Dorothy says she wants to go home to Kansas, the witch tells her to go see the wizard.  On her way to see the wizard, Dorothy comes across a scarecrow, a tin man, and a lion.  They go with her to see the wizard, because they each have their own requests.  But, when they all get there and ask the wizard for what they want, they are told to kill the Witch of the West first, and then he will give them what they want.  The evil Witch of the West is watching them from a far.  She sends some monkeys to bring her Dorothy, Toto, and the lion; she tells the monkeys to kill the tin man and the scarecrow.  When Dorothy arrives to at the witch’s, she winds up killing her when she pours some water on her.  Then, they all go back to see the wizard; his true identity is revealed when a curtain falls and there is a man behind it.  The man tells Dorothy that he can take her home in the hot air balloon that he has. But, Toto jumps out of the balloon and Dorothy goes to find him.  Then, she sees another witch (the Witch of the South) and she tells Dorothy snap her shoes together and it will bring her home! It works, and Dorothy gets back!

     I like the way the artist painted the pictures in the story.  I think it is a great way of presenting the characters in a more cartoonish form.  The pictures are very simple, but tell the story very well.  The illustrator uses watercolors.  She uses very bright colors.  The artist also does a great job emphasizing important scenes or objects in the story by painting them bigger.  For example, in the scene with the wizard, she makes his face really large to describe what Dorothy sees.  I really like the style, in which the artist paints.  It is very unique.

     I would use this in my classroom to teach my students about different types of characters.  I could also get them to draw their favorite scene from the story and write about it.  They could also categorize the characters into good and evil, and point out the main character as well.  Another activity that could go along with this book is to have students make a book with characters and events in the story.   Students could also compare and contrast this story to other versions.  I think book is most appropriate for kindergarten through second grade.

 

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Delicious

Delicious

Written and Illustrated By: Helen Cooper

Random House Children’s Books, 2006

29 Pages

Fantasy

     I chose this book, because it was in the same book trilogy as the book that I read for my read aloud lesson.  This is the last book in the series, but they can be read in any order.  The first one, Pumpkin Soup, is what the one I used for my lesson. I just couldn’t use it, because of the copyright date.  This story begins with three characters, a cat, a squirrel, and a duck.  They are trying to pick out a pumpkin, but they have trouble finding one.  The animals are use to having pumpkin soup, but they have to come up with something else for super.  Everything that the cat and squirrel suggest is turned down by the duck.  Duck doesn’t want fish soup; he sticks his nose up at the mushroom soup, too.  The only thing duck is interested in eating is pumpkin soup.  The cat and the squirrel make a different kind of soup; it turns out pink…..and of course, the duck is still not pleased.  Finally, cat and squirrel decide they will trick duck by using ingredients that will make the soup look like it’s pumpkin soup.  Duck takes a bite of the soup, but realizes it’s not the soup he thought it was; duck likes the soup, despite the fact that it is not the pumpkin soup he was expecting!

     I love the illustrations in this book.   The colors are really warm and vibrant.  The illustrator does a really great job portraying the setting of each scene.  The artist includes some smaller pictures along with some of the text to show what each character does.  I like this, because it helps the reader visually see what is going on while they are reading.  Everything is very detailed and sequenced.  The illustrator also includes pictures of the ingredients as the characters are adding them to the pot.  There are also pictures to the side of the types of foods they are using; this is a great way to emphasize the ingredients.  Overall, I think the artist did a wonderful job depicting the scenes of the story. 

     There are several ways you could use this book in your classroom.  I would use this book in my classroom to teach story grammar and vocabulary.  There are many words in the story that would be good vocabulary for students up to the third grade.  An example would be scrumptious.  These words are also very descriptive, so a lesson could also be done on adjectives.  Sequencing is another way to use this book, because the animals use ingredients in a certain order.  It can also be used to teach students that it is important to try new foods.  I think the book is appropriate for kindergarten, first, and second grade. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs

Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs

Retold By and Illustrated By: Mo Willems

HarperCollins Publishers, 2012

28 Pages

Fantasy 

     I chose this book, because the title interested me.  I was curious as to how the story was retold.  The story is about a group of three dinosaurs that decide to make up a scheme to lure a little boy or girl into their house and trap them.   They prepare the house by making some chocolate, and then set out to wait on a little boy or girl to appear in the woods.  Then, they see a little girl; her name is Goldilocks.  Goldilocks finds the dinosaur’s house; she walks right inside with no sense of danger.  She finds some pudding that the dinosaurs have made.  Goldilocks winds up eating all three bowls that the dinosaurs prepared.   After eating, she tries to sit in a chair, but she can’t reach them; then, she realizes that there must be something she doesn’t know.  Right after she starts thinking about this, the dinosaurs come back home.  She overhears them talking about their plans, so she runs out of the house.  The dinosaurs rushed inside, but they didn’t make it in time; Goldilocks had gotten away!

     The illustrations in this book are drawn and painted.  They are outlined in black.  The lines emphasize things in the story, such as the dinosaur characters, or the bowls of pudding.  The illustrator/author does a wonderful job providing the audience with pictures that go along with the story really well.  The proportion sizes between the dinosaurs and Goldilocks is easily shown by the size of the counters, chairs, pudding bowls, and bed for the dinosaurs.  Showed how much larger the dinosaurs were than Goldilocks.  Overall, the artist did great!  The pictures help the reader to visualize what happens in the story.

     I think this book would be great for teaching the sequence of events in a story.  I could have a picture of each part in the story, and have my students match the words that tell what is happening.  I could also have a long paper strip where they just the put pictures in order.  I could also do a story map, after I read the book.  Characterization would also be a good lesson for this book.  I would probably do an activity with the characters where they match information about each character in the story to a picture of the character.  I think this story is most appropriate for kindergarten through second grade.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bruh Rabbit and the Tar Baby Girl

Bruh Rabbit and the Tar Baby Girl

Written By: Virginia Hamilton

Illustrated By: James E. Ransome

Scholastic, The Blue Sky Press, 2003

28 Pages

Traditional Literature

     I picked this book, because I know it has a lesson in it to teach, and I wanted to read an updated version of the story.  The story is about a wolf name Bruh Wolf and a Rabbitt called Bruh Rabbit.  The rabbit has been stealing food for from the wolf’s crops, instead of growing his own.  Bruh Rabbit gets away with it for a long while, until wolf starts noticing some rabbit paw prints in his garden.  The wolf decides to put a scarecrow in the garden to scare the rabbit, but it doesn’t stop him.  So then, wolf decides to trick the rabbit by making a rabbit out of sticky tar and placing her in the garden.   When the rabbit comes across this, he is skeptical.  He gets confused when the rabbit doesn’t talk to him.  Bruh Rabbit gets angry and punches it with his paw, and then it gets stuck in the tar rabbit.  Bruh Rabbit tries again with his other paw.  Before long, Bruh rabbit’s feet are stuck, too; Bruh Wolf finds him the next morning; the rabbit is caught! But, the rabbit tricks the wolf by telling him he doesn’t want to be thrown in the briar patch; he wanted him to throw him in there, because that is where he was born, and it does not faze him one bit. 

     The illustrations are done in watercolor.  The colors are very vibrant. The artist uses several different shades of green.  The artist does a great job illustrating each scene; it is easy to tell what is going on throughout the story.  Some of the pictures are painted close up, which emphasizes the importance of what the character is doing or what is pictured in the scene.  The illustrator also depicts the difference between day and night by making the night scenes darker.  I love the way he paints the scenery.  It is very pretty!

     I would use this in my classroom to teach students characterization.  I would have them describe both characters.  Then, they would write about what they think might happen in a sequel (would the rabbit get caught?).  I would also have my students identify what was right and wrong, and make sure they understand the moral of the story.  I would ask them some questions about the story, and discuss what happens in the story.  Another lesson idea would be to use the story to teach dialects.  After reading the book, we could talk about the way it is written and the dialect of the story.  I think this book is most appropriate for kindergarten through third grade.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jack and the Beanstalk

Jack and the Beanstalk

Retold and Illustrated By: Albert Lorenz and Joy Schleh

Harry N. Abrams, Inc. Publishers, 2002

28 Pages

Traditional Literature

     I chose this book, because I was interested to see how the story was retold.  It begins with Jack and his mother.  All they have is a cottage and a cow, which is not giving them any milk.  Jack’s mother tells him to go sell it.  On the way to town, he meets an old man who trades some “magic beans” for his cow.  His mother his upset with him, but the next morning Jack sees a huge beanstalk! He climbs it and finds a large castle at the top.  Giants live there; the woman giant lets him inside when he says he is hungry, but explains that he needs to stay away from her husband.  Jack has to hide when the giant man comes into the room.  He finds a bag of gold coins and makes a small device with wheels to transport it back home.  Once Jack and his mother use all the gold up, Jack decides to go back to the castle.  This time, he finds a golden hen and lowers it down the beanstalk.  Jack’s mother is so happy that they now have a way of making money.  But, even though they now have what they need, Jack is still interested in the castle; he goes back.  This time, he takes a golden harp; he drops it as he is trying to move it down the beanstalk, and the giants pile in behind him. Once he gets to the bottom, he explains what is going on to his mother.  Then, Jack and his mother cut down the beanstalk; the giants fall into the ocean and are never seen again, and they share their gold with the rest of the town!

     The illustrations in the book are wonderful.  They are so incredibly detailed! The authors/ artists did a great job with the size.  In the back of the book it explains how they actually made a scale as they were drawing the pictures.  The book is large and there are several two page spreads.  I love the format that the artists used with proportion.  The illustrators also put smaller pictures at the tops of the pages to show close ups of what is happening as Jack travels down the beanstalk.  The colors are very bright; the illustrations are done through sketching with pencil and pen and our painted with watercolors. 

     I would use this book to teach morals to my students as well.  It teaches a lesson on helping others who don’t have as much as you do.  I think this is important for students to learn, because it builds their character and tells them the difference between right and wrong.  I would probably do a story map along with the book that tells the characters, setting, and plot of the story.  I could also do a writing activity where students write about a time that they have helped someone.  I could use it to teach sequencing of events as well, and have my students put the events in the correct order.  I feel as though the book is most appropriate for kindergarten through second grade. 

 

 

 

The Ugly Duckling

The Ugly Duckling

Retold by: Stephen Mitchell

Illustrations by: Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher

Candlewick Press, 2008

36 Pages

Traditional Literature 

     I decided to pick this book, because it has a good moral.  I also wanted to read this version of the story.  It is about a duck that hatches and looks completely different than the other ducks.  The other ducks make fun of him and tell him that he is ugly.  Eventually, even his mother does not want him around.  So, the duck decides to go elsewhere.  He swims to a marsh, hoping to find a place to stay for the night.  In the morning, some wild ducks come to greet him.  They tell him that he is welcome to stay with them, but they don’t want him to marry into their families.  He is happy, until some hunters come and kill two geese that were also in the marsh with him.  The geese had tried to accept him too, but the duck realizes that it is not safe there and moves on to find somewhere else to stay.  The duckling comes across an old cottage and makes his way into it through a crack in the door.  An old lady lives at the house with her hen and cat.  The hen and cat don’t like the duck, either, because he is different.   The duckling decides to leave.  Soon after, fall comes.  He sees some beautiful birds flying, and wishes he could be as pretty as they are.  Then winter comes and the duckling has a really hard time; the water freezes.  Then, a peasant finds him and takes him home, but he winds up running away when some children frighten him.  But, then spring comes.  The duck sees the same birds that he saw that were so pretty and follows them.  As he is trying to tell them that he only wants to see them and he doesn’t care if they are mean to him for being ugly, he looks down into the water at his reflection.  He is one of them! 

     The illustrations in this book are very beautiful.  The artist uses a mixed media form in his work.  Each picture is extremely detailed.  He does a wonderful job portraying what is happening in the book.  I love the colors he uses; he has a way of making his pictures look real, just like they are in nature.  The illustrator also uses size and proportion to show what is happening.  I love the two-page spread paintings that he does.  This gives the reader a bigger picture to go along with the story.

     I would use this in my classroom to teach my students a lesson that everyone is different, but it’s ok to be different.  I would relate the story to them, and ask them how they would feel if they were the ugly duckling.  This allows students to think about the main character and his struggles.  I could also do a topic cluster about the hardships that the duck had in the book; then, they could write a few sentences about it.  I think it’s really important that students understand the events of the story, also.  I could make a map of all of the different places the duck goes.  I think the most important thing is that they understand that everyone is different, and we must not make fun of one another for these differences.  I think the book is most appropriate for kindergarten through second grade. 

 

 

Scranimals

Scranimals

Written By: Jack Prelutsky

Illustrated By: Peter Sis

Harper Collins Publishers, 2002

37 Pages

Poetry Book

     I chose this book, because it is filled with nonsense poetry.  The poems are about two children who are exploring Scranimal Island.  As they are exploring, they come across animals that they have never seen before.  Each poem describes the animal that the children see.  Each animal is a combination of two different things, whether it is another animal, or a plant, or maybe even a fruit.  The story begins with the children seeing a rhinoserose, which is the combining of a rhino and a rose.  They also see a potatoad.  The potatoad is a potato combined with a toad.  The children also see some parrotters; these animals are half parrott, half otter.  In the middle of the story, the two children see some broccolions (broccoli that is part lion).  The broccolion have their eyes on some antelopetunia (antelope and petunia), which become their prey. Then, towards the end of the story the children come across a mangorilla (mango and gorilla), an oranutangerine (orangutan and tangerine).  And last, they see an avacododo, which is half do do bird, half avocado.  Each one of these animals has certain animal traits or characteristics that make them unique. The author does a great job describing them in his poetry.  Each poem also rhymes. 

     The illustrations in this book are really good at depicting how each animal that the author describes looks.  The artist painted the pictures with watercolors.  He also used black line.  I think this was a great choice, because it helps illustrate the landscaping of the island; texture is used really well.  Each page is very detailed and includes pictures in the background of other animals that the children have already seen.  I think this is really neat, because it shows the reader where the children are on the island, and where they have been, also.  The can tell the artist put a lot of time into his work as far as the illustrations of the island go.  There is even a map in the front of the book that shows where everything is located on the island. 

    This book could be used in several different ways in the classroom.  It could be used to teach a lesson on rhyming.  It could be used for the vocabulary in the book, also, because the author uses a variety of descriptive words; adjectives could be another lesson for this book.  I could also use it to teach about animal traits, and how each animal has a different means of survival.  I could point out the broccolions, and how they catch their prey.  There is also a radishark in the book (radish and shark combined) that I could also use to teach survival traits (I just summarized a few animals in my summary, but there are several more).  The do do bird in the story is an extinct animal, also; I could incorporate what extinct animals are in this lesson as well.  I would have my students write about their favorite animal in the story, or have the students make up their own animal and explain its traits.  There are so many things you could do with this book! I think it is most appropriate for grades one through three. 

 

Red Sings From Treetops: A Year in Colors

Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors

Written By: Joyce Sidman

Illustrated By: Pamela Zagarenski

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 2009

29 Pages

Poetry Book

      I chose this book because of the use of poetry in the book with colors, and the illustrations are absolutely wonderful.  The book is written in a lyrical form of poetry.  It is about the four seasons and how colors are seen in each one.  It is about a woman and her dog, and the way she sees each season.  The author uses figurative speech to explain the different parts of nature in each season.   The way colors are used is very similar to color poetry, except it is free verse and has no format.   It begins with season spring.  The woman talks about the how she sees red in springtime.  She relates the color to the red birds in the trees; this explains the title of the book.  The woman also describes spring as being green, because everything is blooming and there are several buds on trees.  The woman also explains what the color white looks like in spring; she sees it in the lightning in storms, and also in flowers.  She uses the color pink to describe the baby birds.  Then, the story shifts into summer.  The woman says that the white she sees is ice in glasses.  She also describes the various shades of blue and green in summer.  Next, the season turns into fall.  I love the way that this part is written.  She explains how the color brown is now the most prominent, because green has left.  The woman also explains that red is now the apple trees.  She uses the color orange to describe jack-o-lanterns.  After fall, winter begins, and the woman talks about the soft, light colors of blue and pink in the snow.  She also explains how the color white is seen all around her, and how the dark colors of the tree branches are brought out by the white colors.  And then, the book ends with the color red and the bird appearing once again. 

      I absolutely love the illustrations in this book.  They are wonderful! The artist did a phenomenal job of depicting the colors that are used in the poems.  The colors are very rich. All of the illustrations are paintings.  They are extremely detailed and explain exactly what each poem is talking about to the reader.  I love how the illustrator uses a variety of colors.  The paintings are beautiful!  Each page focuses on a different color.  The colors are greatly emphasized.  The woman’s clothes even blend into the colors around her.  The artist does a wonderful job illustrating what is happening in each poem.

      I would use this in my classroom to teach my students how to write descriptive poetry.  I would be able to teach figurative language with this book, also.  There are several similes and metaphors, as well as plenty of personification.  I feel like the book is more appropriate for second through fourth grade.   I think the language is a little more complex for kindergarten and first grade; however, the book could be used to teach colors.  This book won a Caldecott Honor in 2010.  It has also won many other awards which include the Claudia Lewis Poetry Award, the Horn Book Fanfare, the Cybils Poetry Award, the Minnesota Book Award, CCBC Choices 2010, the New York Public Library’s “100 Titles for Reading and Sharing,” the ABC “Indie” Best Book,  the Bulletin Blue Ribbon, and the Junior Library Guild Selection.  I will definitely use this in my classroom one day! It is an excellent book to use to teach poetry, with wonderful pictures!

 

Red is a Dragon: A Book of Colors

Red is a Dragon: A Book of Colors

Written By: Roseanne Thong

Illustrated By: Grace Lin

Chronicle Books LLC, 2001

30 Pages

Poetry Book 

     I picked this book, because I thought it would be a great book to teach colors.  The book is written in a narrative poetry format.  It also rhymes.  It tells a story of a girl and the colors she sees in her daily life.  The girl lives in Japan; therefore, the events and experiences she is telling us about include parts of her culture.  The book begins with the color red.  In this part, the girl is describing a parade she is watching that has a dragon in it; the dragon is red.  The girl also talks about the color orange when she goes to the beach.  She also talks about the color yellow when she lights a candle.  She describes the color green when her aunt gives her a purse. The girl also talks about the colors green and blue when she is outside.  She sees the color pink when she is at the opera.  And last, the girl notices that her food is the color white. 

     The artist did the paintings in this book in gauche.  The colors are very vibrant.  The pictures make the book easy to understand.  Every illustration includes a picture of the girl and what she is doing.  The artist does a great job depicting the girl’s culture and family in her pictures.  It is very easy to tell what the girl is describing in each scene.  The pictures are also very large and emphasize the meaning of the colors in the poems. 

     This would be a great book to use to teach colors.  I could have an activity where students name the different colors in their classroom.  I could also teach my students how to write color poems.  The book would go along well with an introductory lesson in poetry.  I could have my students write their own color poem about the colors they notice every day or about their favorite color.  The book could also be used to teach a lesson about Asian culture and the traditions that they have.  The students could also compare what colors represent in their daily lives to what they mean in the girl’s.  I could also do a lesson on rhyming with this book.  I think this book is most appropriate for kindergarten through second grade. 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Silver Seeds

Silver Seeds

Written By: Paul Paolilli and Dan Brewer

Illustrations By: Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher

Puffin Books, 2001

32 Pages

Poetry Book

 

     I chose this book, because it is filled with acoustic poems.  I thought it would be a great book to use to introduce a poetry unit.  The poetry in the book is used to explain different aspects of nature.  It is about two children and the things they find in nature as they are outside playing throughout the day.  The book is written in a lyrical poetry form; however, the story follows a sequence. The book begins with a poem about dawn.  Then, there is a poem about the sun, and one about a shadow; these pages describe the way the sun rises in the morning and casts its shadow.  Then, the book includes poems about insects and the different types of weather that the children see.  I love the poems about the insects.  The authors did a great job of writing poetry that is very descriptive and helps the reader visualize what the words are saying.  The book ends with a poem about night and the way that the children see the stars as silver seeds.  The poems are very well written, but are easy to understand.

     The illustrations in this book are paintings done by two artists.  The illustrators did a wonderful job portraying what each poem means.  Each page shows the two children outside and the type of nature they are seeing.  They also spell out the letters of what the picture is illustrating.  For example, tree is written beside the tree that is painted in the illustration.  This puts more emphasis on each part of nature. It also shows the reader a visual of how the pictures relate to the poem, which is very useful in lower grades.

     

     There are several ways that this book could be used in the classroom.  I would use it as an introduction to poetry.  The acoustic poems in the book are simple and would be a great way to show students how to write this type of poetry.  I think it would be most appropriate for second and third grade, because it is very descriptive; students are starting to learn about adjectives in this grade.  They could write their own acoustic poem, after I read the book.  It could also be used for a lesson on similes and metaphors in the third or fourth grade, because there are several in the story.  Another key element to these poems is personification.  It could be used to teach this type of figurative speech in fourth grade as well; therefore, this book could be used in grades two through four in teaching poetry or figurative language.   This book won an IRA Children’s Book Award in the primary-fiction category in 2002.