On the Day You Were Born. ISBN 0-590-97955-8. Debra Frasier.1991. Parent's Choice Gold Award. Ages 4-8. Multi-Cultural.
On the Day You Were Born, by Debra Frasier, is a book that welcomes a child to the world. The child who the book is being read to is the main character. Each aspect of nature and mother Earth has prepared for the child's arrival, and each is explained well through words and illustration. The animals are shown moving in different directions on the planet Earth to represent migration, the sun is shown pushing flames into the sky to light it. Movement and the direction of movement is shown well in each illustration by similair shapes being used in different sizes to direct the eye, which is important when discussing migration, sun light, moon light, and waves. The outline of a person is seen in each picture, with the color of skin changing on each page.
This book will make any child feel as if she is truly a part of nature and the cycle of life by connecting her to animals, gravity, oxygen, etc. In the back of the book, the author explains each illustration more scientifically, but in a child-friendly way, which would be a great tool in the classroom. She even explains how people have different color skin based on their ancestors proximity to the sun, which many children are very curious about, and even have a hard time understanding. I would use this book to show that we are all connected.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Bud, Not Buddy
Bud, Not Buddy. ISBN 0-440-41328-8. Christopher Paul Curtis. 1999. Newberry Medal. Ages 9-12. African American Historical Fiction.
Bud, Not Buddy, by Christopher Paul Curtis, tells the story of ten-year-old Bud Caldwell as he tries to find a home during the American Depression of the thirties. Bud is orphaned in Flint Michigan at the age of six when his mother dies. The reader is introduced to ten-year-old Bud being fostered by the Amoses, a family that turns out to be quite abusive, even locking him in a shed with hornets. At this point, Bud takes to the road. When his plans to head west fall through, he decides to find who he thinks is his father in Grand Rapids. Along the way he is helped by a slew of interesting characters including Deza Malone, a little girl in Flint's Hooverville, and "Lefty" Lewis, a porter for the railroad in Grand Rapids. After reaching his destination, he meets the man he thinks is his father, Herman Calloway, and his band. They band takes Bud in as if he is part of their family, and he soon discovers that the man he thinks is his father is truly his grandfather. He has finally found a home.
Bud is faced with many challenges that most children in a school classroom won't understand, such as hunger and homelessness. This book could be used as a great "eye-opener" to children that live priveleged lives, even though they may not realize it. Bud is very observant and has many rules for living that involve not trusting people. We could discuss why he may feel this way or why he has these rules and if we think he will still live by these rules now that he has found a home.
Bud, Not Buddy, by Christopher Paul Curtis, tells the story of ten-year-old Bud Caldwell as he tries to find a home during the American Depression of the thirties. Bud is orphaned in Flint Michigan at the age of six when his mother dies. The reader is introduced to ten-year-old Bud being fostered by the Amoses, a family that turns out to be quite abusive, even locking him in a shed with hornets. At this point, Bud takes to the road. When his plans to head west fall through, he decides to find who he thinks is his father in Grand Rapids. Along the way he is helped by a slew of interesting characters including Deza Malone, a little girl in Flint's Hooverville, and "Lefty" Lewis, a porter for the railroad in Grand Rapids. After reaching his destination, he meets the man he thinks is his father, Herman Calloway, and his band. They band takes Bud in as if he is part of their family, and he soon discovers that the man he thinks is his father is truly his grandfather. He has finally found a home.
Bud is faced with many challenges that most children in a school classroom won't understand, such as hunger and homelessness. This book could be used as a great "eye-opener" to children that live priveleged lives, even though they may not realize it. Bud is very observant and has many rules for living that involve not trusting people. We could discuss why he may feel this way or why he has these rules and if we think he will still live by these rules now that he has found a home.
Number the Stars
Number The Stars. ISBN 978-0-440-22753-3. Lois Lowry. 1989. Newberry Medal. Ages 9-12. Jewish Historical Fiction.
Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry, is the story of a young girl, Annemarie, and her family's efforts to help their good friends, the Rosens, escape the Nazis that have occupied their town in Denmark during WW II. Ellen Rosen and Annemarie Johansen are ten-year-old girls and best friends that live in the same apartment building. Their families are friends as well. When the Nazis begin evacuating the jews in their town, Ellen stays with the Johansens while her parents flee. It is later found out by both girls that Annemarie's uncle is going to bring the Rosens, along with a few others, to safe Sweden in his fishing boat.
The story of the Holocaust is one that is often talked about in school, but the perspective of a young girl helping a jewish family with her family is new. This would be a good story to use to discuss being ethical and decent, even when faced with great risk. The Johansens have lost a daughter to this cause in Annemarie's older sister, Lise, but still are determined to help their friends and keep working towards helping the innocent victims of the holocaust.
Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry, is the story of a young girl, Annemarie, and her family's efforts to help their good friends, the Rosens, escape the Nazis that have occupied their town in Denmark during WW II. Ellen Rosen and Annemarie Johansen are ten-year-old girls and best friends that live in the same apartment building. Their families are friends as well. When the Nazis begin evacuating the jews in their town, Ellen stays with the Johansens while her parents flee. It is later found out by both girls that Annemarie's uncle is going to bring the Rosens, along with a few others, to safe Sweden in his fishing boat.
The story of the Holocaust is one that is often talked about in school, but the perspective of a young girl helping a jewish family with her family is new. This would be a good story to use to discuss being ethical and decent, even when faced with great risk. The Johansens have lost a daughter to this cause in Annemarie's older sister, Lise, but still are determined to help their friends and keep working towards helping the innocent victims of the holocaust.
Kira-Kira
Kira-Kira. ISBN 0-689-85640-7. Cynthia Kadohata. 2004. Newberry Medal. Ages 9-12. Asian-American Historical Fiction.
Kira-Kira, by Cynthia Kadohata, is the story of a Japanese-American family living in America in the sixties. Kira-Kira means glitter in Japanese and is a word that the main character, Katie, cherishes because it was taught to her by her older sister and best friend Lynn. Katie's family begins in Iowa, but must move to Georgia when their Oriental Foods buisness fails and her Uncle Katsuhisa has work for the mother and father in a chicken hatchery down south. The parents are always working and the family has very little money, but their family bond is strong. They stay together and care for eachother through struggles, including the death of Lynn after being diagnosed with lymphoma.
This story really focuses on how important family is, especially when facing issues like discrimination, near poverty, and death. This familiy never quits and always keeps hope that the future will be better. I would use this book in a classroom to stress the importance of family. We could also discuss how different the world was in regards to discrimination, not that long ago. It is important to remind students of the struggles that many immigrants faced and still face today. This encourages empathy and caring.
Kira-Kira, by Cynthia Kadohata, is the story of a Japanese-American family living in America in the sixties. Kira-Kira means glitter in Japanese and is a word that the main character, Katie, cherishes because it was taught to her by her older sister and best friend Lynn. Katie's family begins in Iowa, but must move to Georgia when their Oriental Foods buisness fails and her Uncle Katsuhisa has work for the mother and father in a chicken hatchery down south. The parents are always working and the family has very little money, but their family bond is strong. They stay together and care for eachother through struggles, including the death of Lynn after being diagnosed with lymphoma.
This story really focuses on how important family is, especially when facing issues like discrimination, near poverty, and death. This familiy never quits and always keeps hope that the future will be better. I would use this book in a classroom to stress the importance of family. We could also discuss how different the world was in regards to discrimination, not that long ago. It is important to remind students of the struggles that many immigrants faced and still face today. This encourages empathy and caring.
The Snowy Day
The Snowy Day. ISBN 0-14-050182-7. Ezra Jack Keats. 1962. Caldecott Medal. Ages 3-8. Urban African American.
The Snow Day, by Ezra Jack Keats, tells the story of a little boy, Peter, and his adventures on one particular snow-filled day. Nothing particularly out of the ordinary happens, but the world of a snowy day seems very exciting in this story. Peter lives in the city with his mother. The setting is apparent with the illustrations including a street light, buildings in the background, and the mention of a pathway being formed by the snow piled high along the street. Peter enjoys the many simple wonders of playing in the snow, like making foot prints, snowballs, and snow angels. He returns home, to his apartment building, at the end of the day to tell his mother all about what he has done, and even continues to contemplate his great day while taking a bath. Luckily, at the end of the book, Peter is met with another snowy day to tackle.
The illustrations in this book help tell the story by showing each activity that Peter is taking part in. The bright colors of Peter's snow suit, the sky, and the city background help to exaggerate the white color of the snow. This adds to the snow's overall appeal to Peter and the reader.
As a teacher, I would use this book to talk about the winter season and all of the fun activities that we do when the snow falls. Young children absolutely love playing in the snow and do most of the things that Peter does in this story, so they will have an easy time relating to this story.
The Snow Day, by Ezra Jack Keats, tells the story of a little boy, Peter, and his adventures on one particular snow-filled day. Nothing particularly out of the ordinary happens, but the world of a snowy day seems very exciting in this story. Peter lives in the city with his mother. The setting is apparent with the illustrations including a street light, buildings in the background, and the mention of a pathway being formed by the snow piled high along the street. Peter enjoys the many simple wonders of playing in the snow, like making foot prints, snowballs, and snow angels. He returns home, to his apartment building, at the end of the day to tell his mother all about what he has done, and even continues to contemplate his great day while taking a bath. Luckily, at the end of the book, Peter is met with another snowy day to tackle.
The illustrations in this book help tell the story by showing each activity that Peter is taking part in. The bright colors of Peter's snow suit, the sky, and the city background help to exaggerate the white color of the snow. This adds to the snow's overall appeal to Peter and the reader.
As a teacher, I would use this book to talk about the winter season and all of the fun activities that we do when the snow falls. Young children absolutely love playing in the snow and do most of the things that Peter does in this story, so they will have an easy time relating to this story.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Charlotte's Web
Charlotte's Web. ISBN 0-06-440055-8. E.B. White. 1952. Newberry Honor. Ages 9-12. Middle American Caucasian.
Charlotte's Web, by E.B. White, tells the story of a young pig, Wilbur, and the life lessons he learns on the farm. The beginning of this book shows a young girl, Fern, saving the runt of a litter of pigs, Wilbur, from being killed by her farmer father. She promises to take care of him until he grows too big to keep. At this point he leaves to live on another farm with many more animals. Wilbur soon discovers that these animals can speak to him. When Wilbur learns of his fate from the sheep, which is to be slaughtered, he becomes very distraught. A spider, Charlotte, empathizes and promises to save his life. She spins messages about Wilbur in her web that are read by the farmer. Believing that he is most definitely a special pig, the farmer does not kill Wilbur. Charlotte, however, comes to the end of her life. Wilbur returns the favor of saving his life by saving the lives of Charlottes offspring.
As a teacher, this book could be used to discuss the importance of friendship and caring for others. This is a simple message that often gets lost in our fast paced society. There are many interesting characters in the barn animals and scenes that could be acted out in a creative dramatic play with any class.
Charlotte's Web, by E.B. White, tells the story of a young pig, Wilbur, and the life lessons he learns on the farm. The beginning of this book shows a young girl, Fern, saving the runt of a litter of pigs, Wilbur, from being killed by her farmer father. She promises to take care of him until he grows too big to keep. At this point he leaves to live on another farm with many more animals. Wilbur soon discovers that these animals can speak to him. When Wilbur learns of his fate from the sheep, which is to be slaughtered, he becomes very distraught. A spider, Charlotte, empathizes and promises to save his life. She spins messages about Wilbur in her web that are read by the farmer. Believing that he is most definitely a special pig, the farmer does not kill Wilbur. Charlotte, however, comes to the end of her life. Wilbur returns the favor of saving his life by saving the lives of Charlottes offspring.
As a teacher, this book could be used to discuss the importance of friendship and caring for others. This is a simple message that often gets lost in our fast paced society. There are many interesting characters in the barn animals and scenes that could be acted out in a creative dramatic play with any class.
The City of Ember
The City of Ember. ISBN 0-375-82274-7. Jeanne DuPrau. 2003. IRA Childrens Choice. Ages 9-13. Multi-Cultural.
The City of Ember, by Jeanne DuPrau, is a city of constant darkness that exists underground. The people that live in this artifically-lit city, have no idea that there is an outside world full of life. The story is told from the point of view of a twelve-year old girl citizen of Ember, Lina, and her male friend, Doon. One day, with the help of her absent-minded grandmother, Lina stumbles across a mysterious box that holds an even more mysterious letter, which gets partially destroyed by her baby sister. With the help of Doon, who works under the underground city, and has a feeling that there is something else out there, she unveils the secret to escaping the City of Ember that this letter contains. The City of Ember is running short on supplies, so the inabitants are suffering, though the Mayor is secretly gorging himself with food. Lina, Doon, and Lina's baby-sister, Poppy, follow the directions left on the note, to find a more desirable place to live, above ground.
As a teacher, it may be fun to have the class draw comparisons between the main characters of this book, Lina and Doon, and people that decide to leave their homes in search of a better life, or emmigrants. The pioneers of the U.S. must have felt similar to these children, leaving their homelands, not knowing exactly what was waiting for them, but having faith that whatever it was would be better. We could also discuss the possibility of power leading to corruption, which is seen in the character of the Mayor of Ember. Questioning what is deemed as normal when injustice is occuring would be another good topic to discuss in relation to this book.
The City of Ember, by Jeanne DuPrau, is a city of constant darkness that exists underground. The people that live in this artifically-lit city, have no idea that there is an outside world full of life. The story is told from the point of view of a twelve-year old girl citizen of Ember, Lina, and her male friend, Doon. One day, with the help of her absent-minded grandmother, Lina stumbles across a mysterious box that holds an even more mysterious letter, which gets partially destroyed by her baby sister. With the help of Doon, who works under the underground city, and has a feeling that there is something else out there, she unveils the secret to escaping the City of Ember that this letter contains. The City of Ember is running short on supplies, so the inabitants are suffering, though the Mayor is secretly gorging himself with food. Lina, Doon, and Lina's baby-sister, Poppy, follow the directions left on the note, to find a more desirable place to live, above ground.
As a teacher, it may be fun to have the class draw comparisons between the main characters of this book, Lina and Doon, and people that decide to leave their homes in search of a better life, or emmigrants. The pioneers of the U.S. must have felt similar to these children, leaving their homelands, not knowing exactly what was waiting for them, but having faith that whatever it was would be better. We could also discuss the possibility of power leading to corruption, which is seen in the character of the Mayor of Ember. Questioning what is deemed as normal when injustice is occuring would be another good topic to discuss in relation to this book.
The Giver
The Giver. ISBN 978-0-440-23768-6. Lois Lowry. 1993. Newberry Medal. Young Adult. Middle-Class American.
The Giver, by Lois Lowry, takes place in a world unlike the the world we live in today. The people are similar to you and me, but their way of life is highly controlled and organized, so that freedom of choice simply does not exist. In this world, or community, this lack of autonomy is referred to as Sameness, and was implemented as a means to protect people from making undesirable choices and the pain and suffering that often comes along with that. Unfortunately, deep felt emotions, all together, have been eliminated in the process. This includes love. This world is introduced through the character of Jonas, an eleven-year-old boy, and his family which consists of his mother, father, and sister Lily. This is the standard make-up of each family in this Community. As Jonas reaches his twelfth birthday, he is given his Assignment, or what is meant to be his career. He is given the highly regarded position of Receiver, which entitles him to be given memories by the Giver. For example, he can see colors, whereas the rest of the Community has no idea what colors are. He is given memories by the Giver that cause him to feel emotions on a level that he never knew existed, which opens his eyes to the way that the world can be, and should be. With this knowledge, he leaves his Community to seek more truths.
This book should be used in a classroom of young adults. The theme of living in a highly controlled world, void of certain emotions, is shown in a way that is a bit shocking. People are killed that are not productive, regardless of their age. This is something that a mature reader would understand as supporting the idea that this world is cold and callous, whereas this could be extremely disturbing to a younger person. As a teacher, I would use this book to discuss the importance of personal choice. I could have the students write an essay about a time that they had to make a decision and the outcome of that decision. I'd like to know how it made them feel to be allowed to excercise their freedom.
The Giver, by Lois Lowry, takes place in a world unlike the the world we live in today. The people are similar to you and me, but their way of life is highly controlled and organized, so that freedom of choice simply does not exist. In this world, or community, this lack of autonomy is referred to as Sameness, and was implemented as a means to protect people from making undesirable choices and the pain and suffering that often comes along with that. Unfortunately, deep felt emotions, all together, have been eliminated in the process. This includes love. This world is introduced through the character of Jonas, an eleven-year-old boy, and his family which consists of his mother, father, and sister Lily. This is the standard make-up of each family in this Community. As Jonas reaches his twelfth birthday, he is given his Assignment, or what is meant to be his career. He is given the highly regarded position of Receiver, which entitles him to be given memories by the Giver. For example, he can see colors, whereas the rest of the Community has no idea what colors are. He is given memories by the Giver that cause him to feel emotions on a level that he never knew existed, which opens his eyes to the way that the world can be, and should be. With this knowledge, he leaves his Community to seek more truths.
This book should be used in a classroom of young adults. The theme of living in a highly controlled world, void of certain emotions, is shown in a way that is a bit shocking. People are killed that are not productive, regardless of their age. This is something that a mature reader would understand as supporting the idea that this world is cold and callous, whereas this could be extremely disturbing to a younger person. As a teacher, I would use this book to discuss the importance of personal choice. I could have the students write an essay about a time that they had to make a decision and the outcome of that decision. I'd like to know how it made them feel to be allowed to excercise their freedom.
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