This is my bibliography thus far. Not all books have instuctional uses at this time. I thought that this would be a great place to start in Wiki World.
Annotated Bibliography
Grades K-2
Goble, P. (1978) The girl who loved wild horses. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.
Awarded the Caldecott Medal, this book is a Native American tale retold by the author. Known only as girl to the audience, the protagonist is the caretaker for a herd of wild horses. Through external forces, she joins the herd and learns to live with them. The pictures resemble Native American art of old. This book was a favorite of mine as a child. As many little girls do, I loved horses and was infatuated with the idea of becoming one.
McDermott, G. (1974) Arrow to the sun. New York, NY: Penguin Group.
This book was the recipient of the Caldecott Medal. It is a Pueblo Indian tale about a young boy created by the sun who was sent to earth. Living with the stigma of having no father, the young boy set out to find his. Through a difficult journey he found his father, the sun, but had to prove his identity through a series of challenges. The illustrations are magnificent and colorful.
Sendak, M. (1963). Where the wild things are. Harper Collins.
Max is having a day of mischief which leads to him being sent to bed without dinner. Max leaves his room on his adventure to the land where the wild things are. He is soon made king and begins his reign of mischief. He finds that he is homesick and decides to return home. Where the Wild Things Are is a Caldecott Award winner.
Instructional ideas: To have the students act out the book after reading it, with the teacher as the narrator.
To have the students imagine a land where they would like to create and draw it, and then write a few lines about it (with assistance if needed).
Few, M. (1993). Macmillan children’s guide to endangered animals. New York, NY: Macmillan Publishing Company.
This is a great resource for a unit on endangered animals. The author grouped the animals according to continent and provided information such as height, weight, special characteristics, and the cause of their endangerment. Children will be surprised to find species similar to those in their area and the reasons for their shrinking numbers. There is probably a more updated version on the market.
Instructional ideas: I would use this book as a resource when reading other books about endangered animals. It would work great in a thematic unit.
Wright, A. (1992). Will we miss them? Endangered species. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge.
Yet another children’s book about endangered animals, this one calls upon the ethics and feelings of the reader. The book is includes factual information about familiar endangered species and suggests ways for humans to aid in the survival. Will We Miss Them is a Reading Rainbow book.
Instuctional ideas: I would ask the students to write a letter to the governor asking him/her to help protect their selected animal. In the letter, they could share the special qualities of the animal, where they live, and why they chose this animal to save. This can be done as a whole class, group, or individual project.
Pallotta, J. (1993). The extinct alphabet book. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge.
Animals that are now extinct are the focus in this book. The author tried hard to find species for every letter of the alphabet. He attempts to use humor to make the reader understand that these animals once existed yet do not walk the earth anymore.
Instructional ideas: The students could choose a letter and investigate whether there is an extinct animal whose name begins with that letter.
Grades 3-6
Paterson, K. (1977 ). Bridge to terabithia. New York, NY: Harper Trophy.
Jess is a young boy who develops a friendship with a girl, Leslie. Through their imaginary world, their friendship flourishes. Their visits to Terabithia come to an end with the traumatic death of Leslie. Jess is forced to deal with one of life’s many lessons. I remember reading this book in the fifth grade and later while in college and was overwhelmed each time with sadness.
Instructional idea: Have the students pretend that they are Jess and write a series of letters throughout the unit to Leslie.
Grades 7-8
Lowry, L. ( ). The giver. New York, NY: Dell Laurel-Leaf.
This book is about a boy who lives in a perfect community in a perfect world. People do not have feelings, do not see colors, and have their lies predicted for them at an early age. That is, until the boy begins training for a very important role in the community. He then learns about color, feelings, history, and the real world. This was a Newberry award winner.
Instuctional Idea: The students should choose a character from the book and ask them to write an essay about what they would have done differently and why.
Avi ( ). Nothing but the truth. New York, NY: Harper Trophy.
Written in a most interesting fashion, this book is about a boy, his teacher, the school, the community, and a ‘misunderstanding’ that would forever alter life as they knew it. This is a Newberry Honor book.
Voight, C. ( ) Dicey’s song. New York, NY: Simon Pulse.
Dicey is a girl who is starting a new life with her siblings at her grandmother’s house. We follow her transition from child to young woman as she learns a few valuable life lessons. It is one of a series of books following this family and was awarded the Newberry Medal.
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