Michelle Beaulieu

12/13/2007

Annotated Bibliography

EDU-JX01

L. King

 

 

Buffet, Jimmy and Buffet, Savannah J. Trouble Dolls. Orlando:Voyager Books/Harcourt, Inc., 1991.

ISBN # 0-15-201501-9

Age Level - 8-10 years

 

I first purchased this book for my daughter because I am a huge Jimmy Buffet fan. Loving all things spiritual, I loved this story. It is a picture book, but the story is a bit long for the typical picture book audience. I think this book would appeal to 3^rd – 6^th graders. The story takes place in the Florida keys and everglades. The heroine is Lizzy, a nine-year old girl whose father’s sea plane has gone missing. With a storm brewing and with a little help from the "trouble dolls", her golden retriever, Spooner and a blue macaw parrot, Lizzie sets out to sea in her little sailboat and rescues her dad. The illustrations are beautiful, too.

This book would be a good starting point for a rain forest or conservation unit. It could also open up a discussion about folk-tales.

 

Carle, Eric. The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Philomel Books: 1969, 1987. ISBN # 0-399-22690-7

Age Level Birth – 7 years

 

Who doesn’t love The Very Hungry Caterpillar? There are so many uses for this book. Sequencing, counting, learning the days of the week, the life cycle of a butterfly. Retelling the story would be fun, art projects such as making a caterpillar or butterfly. It would be a good lead-in if someone should bring in a chrysallis to hatch. A fun writing activity might be for the kids to tell what THEY ate on Monday, Tuesday, etc.

 

Cronin, Doreen. Click, Clack, Moo. Cows that Type. New York:Simon & Schuster, 2000.

ISBN # 0-689-86626-5

Age level kindergarten – Grade 2

 

A very funny tale about cows that type letters to the farmer to improve their working conditions. Hilarious results. Poor Farmer Brown!

Students could write their own letters, to their parents, ot even to me, with their own special requests. This would be a good cause and effect discussion…and then what happened…book. Students could retell the story, identifying beginning, middle, and end.

 

Cronin, Doreen. Diary of a Worm. New York: Harper Collins, 2003.

ISBN # 0-439-67774-2

Age level – Kindergarten-Grade 3

 

I love Doreen Cronin Books and we really enjoyed this one. I love all of the humor interspersed with the true to life details, simplified, of course, of a worm’s life. Yes, they do help us take care of the earth and yes, their faces DO look just like their rear ends…..My kids love that page.

I would use this book just for a fun read and to introduce a unit or discussion on composting. It would also be a good intro to a journal writing activity.

 

Cronin, Doreen. Duck for President. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2004.

ISBN # 0-439-67144-2

Age Level – pre-school-Grade 2

 

This book is not only funny, it also provides a simplified view of the electoral process. It gets the message out to kids that voting is important, all votes count, and anyone can run for public office. Although it is a spoof on politics it still is a good introduction to the electoral process for kids. I love the part where the mice protest the height requirement so it is crossed off the criteria for voter registration; another example of democracy in action and a good jumping off point if we want to introduce the idea of civil rights. The votes being counted and recounted could lead into a math lesson. This would be a good an especially good read in an election year. There are many, many lessons this one could lead up to.

 

Curtis, Jamie Lee. I’m Gonna Like Me, Letting Off a Little Self-Esteem.Harper Collins Children’s Books.

ISBN# 0-06-074116-3

Age Level :3-8

 

I don’t have this book, yet. I fell in love with it when Cathy used it for her reader’s Spotlight. I had read reviews of it but had not read it. I really liked it, and feel as Cathy did, that it would be an excellent read aloud to open up a discussion on self-esteem.

The question at the end, "but enough about me-how about you?" could lead to some fantastic writing., particularly for 3^rd graders and up. Journaling prompts: How I felt when…..What I do when I’m having a bad day, Who/what helps bring me up when I’m feeling down? Have you ever helped someone out who was having a tough time or a bad day? Ask students to write a letter to someone telling that person all the positive things they have noticed about him/her. Or, have them write a letter thanking someone who made them feel better about themselves.

 

Davies, Nicola. One Tiny Turtle.New York: Scholastic, 2001.

ISBN # 0-439-42983-8

Age Level – 4-8 years

 

This is the basic life cycle of the female Loggerhead turtle told in almost lyrical prose interspersed with turtle facts. This book is a good introduction in how to use an index as there is a simple one in the back of the book. I love sea turtles and the illustrations are evocative of the turtles in Finding Nemo, though a bit more realistic. This would be a good intro to content area reading as there is a lot of factual information. A discussion about where and when Loggerhead turtles lay there eggs, how big are the turtles when they hatch, what do they eat, etc.

 

Dillon, Leo and Diane. To Everything There Is A Season Verses from Ecclesiastes. New York: Scholastic, 1998.

ISBN # 0-590-47888-5

Age Level: All – However, I would probably use it in a 5^th or 6^th grade

 

I initially chose this book as part of a collection of books that I was putting together for multicultural display. Ecclesiastes stretches across all boundaries of time, place, and culture, It tells the story of human existence and experience, or life and death, of joy and grief. Tennyson called it "the greatest poem of ancient or modern times." Aside from the poem, the illustrations, which have been collected from around the world span the ages, and are breathtaking. The art alone would be a great source for culture projects because of the variety. The illustrations for each line are thought provoking on their own. I would ask students to write a short explanation or story about what they think is depicted in the illustration.

 

Emmett, Jonathon. Ruby in Her Own Time. New York: Scholastic, 2003.

ISBN # 0-439-67876-5

Age Level- Pre-school – Grade 2

 

This is a classic story about going at one’s own pace. Ruby always seems to be a step behind her duck siblings but when it comes time to learn to fly Ruby doesn’t just fly, she soars above and beyond her siblings.

I guess I would bring this out as a read aloud just because it is a good read, but it could also serve as lesson to students, even the very young ones, that everyone learns to do things at a different pace, and they will all turn out just fine, in their own time.

Galloway, Ruth. Fidgety Fish. New York: Scholastic, 2001.

ISBN # 0-439-38870-8

Age Level – Pre-school – Grade 2

This is one of my all-time favorite read alouds. The entertainment factor alone. picture a room full of 4 year-olds flipping, dipping, speeding like a rocket, gliding gently like a swan…..kids love to act those out and then when you get to the part where Tiddler goes into the cave and isn’t a cave, the cave goes SNAP! and the kids all scream…it’s too much fun.Then the kids pretend they’re in the fish’s stomach and they want to make him burp so they wriggle, and they shiver….then one of them will make the burp sound….it is not a quiet, relaxing book. I love it for the vocabulary and the imagery. My Success By Six playgroup kids used to beg for it. It is a good book for having the kids retell the story, What happens in the beginning, in the middle, in the end?

 

 

 

 

 

Harrison, David, L. When Cows Come Home. New York: Scholastic, 1994.

ISBN # 0-590-62345-1

Age Level Pre-school – Grade 1

The text is written in the form of a poem, every other line rhymes and the rhythm is very pleasant. The cows do all sorts of things, riding bikes, swimming….all while the farmer looks the other way..Rhyming and syllables would be a good follow-up to reading this book.

 

Hatkoff, Craig and Isabella., Kahumbu, Paula, Dr. New York,: Scholastic:2007.

ISBN # 0-439-89959-1

Age Level 4-8

This is a beautiful account of friendship. Owen, the orphaned.baby hippo is befriended by a 130 year- old tortoise named Mzee. Mzee teaches Owen how to survive. A very unlikely friendship develops This is a great book to teach children about diversity and how friendship knows no boundaries. The book also offers great background information on Kenya, hippos, tortoises, and what is involved in rescuing and rehabilitating wild animals.

 

Henkes, Kevin. Chrysanthemum. Harper, 1996.

ISBN # 0-688-14732-1

Henkes handles kindergarten bullies with aplomb. When the happiest little mouse in the world went off to school her whole sense of self was turned inside out. Chrysanthemum finds that the other children do not share the same appreciation for her name that she does. One little girl scoffs that it uses up half of the letters in the alphabet. They are even mean to her on the playground. Children can be so cruel. The new music teacher turns out to be Chrysanthemums saving grace. Her name is Delphinium and she is going to have a baby. And guess what name she has chosen for her little one? Yep, Chrysanthemum. This is along the same lines as the Jamie Lee Curtis book I’m Gonna Like Me, but for a younger audience. It would be a super book to open a discussion about differences and bullying, and how boring the world would be if everybody was named kelly, or had blond hair, etc.

 

Kellog, Steven. The Christmas Witch. New York: Dial Books, 1992.

ISBN # 0-8037-1269-3

Age Level 5-8

This a family favorite, and should not be confused with the Italian folk tale that bears the same name.. While I have to admit there is a lot going on in this book the basic story is that little Gloria is a student at Madame Pestilence’s Academy for Young Goblins and Witches. The only problem is that Gloria, bless her little soul, wants to be a GOOD witch. One night she discovers an angel reading A Magic Tale of Christmas to some elves and she is so enchanted that she announces that she wants to be a Christmas Witch. The angel tells Gloria that she must go to the dark planet and somehow reunite the polka-dotted Pepperwills and the Striped Valdoons. With a lot of faith, Christmas spirit, and a little help from the elves Gloria works at accomplishing her task only to be thwarted by Madame Pestilence. Still in the end Christmas magic and kindness win and Madame Pestilence is reduced to a cockroach! This a great read for those a little too young for the Harry Potter experience. I love the message that kindness and generosity can put an end to strife.

 

London, Jonathon. Froggy Gets Dressed. Penguin, 1992.

ISBN # 0-0-670-84249-4

Age Level 4-8

The Froggy books are favorites of my own children. The books in the series usually contain a milestone or something to be overcome by Froggy. In this book it is getting dressed to play in the snow, always a challenge for frogs, and small children. The text is filled with onomatopoeia. This is a great read aloud for children as young as 2 or 3 and a good independent reading book for children 6 to 8 years old. The text contains over 70 high frequency words.

A few other books in the Froggy series:

Froggy Rides a Bike

Froggy’s Baby Sister

Froggy goes to school

Froggy Learns to Swim

Froggy Plays in the Band

Froggy’s Day With Dad

 

Mayer, Gina and Mercer. A Very Special Critter. New York:Golden Book,1992.

ISBN # ISBN # 0-307-12763-X/0-307-62763-2 (lib. bdg.)

This another family favorite. Little Critter has a new boy in his class, a boy in a wheelchair. Little Critter learns that the new boy is a boy like him after all. The new boy is really good at math and volleyball and likes to play with the same toys Little Critter does. I think this is a great addition to any library, home, daycare, school, or the doctor’s office. It is told in a frank matter of fact manner, with bit of humor. Kids are just kids. This book could open up a valuable discussion about differences, acceptance, respect, and the "differently-abled."

 

Mayer, Mercer. I Was So Mad. New York: Golden Book, 1983.

This is another family favorite. We’ve read this one so much it’s falling apart. Little Critter is having one of those days where nothing is going right. He is so mad because he can’t keep frogs in the bathtub, water the garden, paint the house, juggle eggs, or tickle the goldfish. He is so mad that he is going to run away, he has heard NO all day long. But when his friends come by and invite him to the park his mom says he can go. The last line in the book is, "I’ll run away tomorrow if I’m still so mad."

This is a great book to open up discussions about anger, feelings, etc.

 

Osbourne, Mary Pope. The Magic Tree House #11 Lions at Lunchtime.New York: Random House, 1998.

ISBN # 0-679-88340-1

I love all of the Magic Tree House Books. They draw kids in like mosquitos to flames. I like that they mix a fantasy element with a lot of fact gathering. What a wonderful way to learn about history, science, and geography. My daughter’s favorite is Dolphin’s at Daybreak.

 

Park, Barbara.Junie B. Jones Series. New York: Scholastic, various dates of publication.

Junie B. Jones is my all time favorite character in children’s literature. I so enjoy reading her stories aloud. I think children love the books because of all the kooky things she does. I love the books for the variety of language. Junie comes up with some good stuff. Kids also relate to all of the ordinary daily situations she finds herself in – going to school, going on a field trip, dealing with the class bully, getting a new teacher, a baby brother, etc. She is fearful and reacts as any typical 5 or 6 year old might. Students get to see that even when one misbehaves and there are misunderstandings life still goes on.

 

Schubert, Leda. Here Comes Darrel.Boston: houghton Mifflin Company, 2005.

ISBN # 0-618-41605-6

Age Level: Preschool-4^th Grade

This is the story of a friendly neighbor /handy man in Vermont and all the ways that he serves others. He is so busy helping everyone else all year long that when a fierce windstorm occurs, Darrel’s barn roof blows off. All of the neighbors he has helped show up to fix his roof. The book is illustrated by Mary Azarian and the pictures are colorful and timeless.

This would be a good intro to a weather or seasons unit. It is also a good example of what community is and how members of a community depend on one another.

 

Sams, Carl R II, & Stoick, Jean. Stranger in the Woods, APhotographic Fantasy.Milford, MI: Carl R. Sams II Photography, 2002.

ISBN # 0-9671748-0-5

The first thing I noticed about this book was the wonderful photographs. The photographs are accompanied by text as the animals in the forest react to a snowman that has appeared in the forest. Most of the features of the snowman are meant to be edible treats for the forest animals, there is even corn under the snow for the deer. After the animals react and eat the treats the children who are hiding and watching come out and replenish the snowman. The last photograph shows a child fixing up the snowman while a young deer watches. My own children loved the dialogue between the animals as well as the photographs.

This is a wonderful introduction to the winter season and athere is an underlying message of conservation.