Realistic Fiction

Stargirl

Author: Jerry Spinelli

Grade Level:

6^th and 7^th

This book examines the emotions and feelings of being a teenager which makes it an appropriate story for 6^th and 7^th graders to read and relate to.  

Summary:

Stargirl is told in first person by the main character Leo. Leo is just a normal junior in high school until he meets the wonderfully strange Stargirl. Leo and Stargirl fall in love, but Leo is conflicted because her differences isolate him from the rest of the school. In an attempt to make his life easier, he tries to change her to be more “ordinary”. In the end, she continues to be her true self, and he learns how to see the world as a more extraordinary place.

Stargirl in the classroom:

One lesson that I would use Stargirl would be to teach diversity in the classroom. Stargirl is shunned by her fellow students because of her unique way of seeing the world. The class could research other famous people who were ostracized in history for being different.

Lessons involving character descriptions would also offer great activities to use with Stargirl.

ESOL strategies and Stargirl :

ESOL students can work on art projects depicting what they think Star Girl might look like. The descriptions of Stargirl and the clothes she wears are very in depth, allowing it to easily be translated into art.

ESOL students would also benefit from an audio version of Stargirl. This gives them the ability to start and stop the story throughout, to check for comprehension.

Read Aloud:

I would read Chapter 1 pages 3-6 because they really intrigue the reader about the character of Stargirl and the schools reaction to her.

Personal Opinion:

I read this book in May of 2000, just as I was about to graduate high school and remembered loving it. I reread it this week and remembered why. Jerry Spinelli captures the society of high school perfectly. He exposes the desperate need to fit in and the loneliness of not fitting in. This book embraces the things that can be learned when we open our eyes to seeing the world in a new way. It is wonderfully written and I can’t wait to reread it again in ten years. 

And the award goes to....

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!

Author & Illustrator: 

Mo Willems

Caldecott Honor 

Picture Book

Grade Level:

K-1^st

This book has simple and limited text which is appropriate for beginning readers.

Summary:

Don’t let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! is a book that talks directly to the reader. Throughout the story the pigeon begs the reader to let him drive the bus. In the end the bus driver returns and the pigeon does not get to drive the bus and the reader feels like they helped keep him from doing that. The illustrations are simple and bare. Mo Willems uses a thick pencil line in his drawings and the illustrations are cartoon looking.

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! In the classroom:

One of the main lessons you can use with Don’t let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! is following rules in the classroom. A teacher could read this the first day of school before teaching the students the rules they will need to follow in class throughout the year.

Another lesson that can be taught is the use of punctuation and reading with emotion. This book had exclamation points, periods, and question marks.

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! ESOL strategies:

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! allows ESOL students to participate in an interactive story with the rest of the class. This makes them comfortable with the story because they can participate in telling the pigeon, “No!” when he continuously asks to drive the bus.

The book also can help to teach simple dialogue because of the use of thought bubbles. When sentences are separated like this it makes it easier to understand what is going on in the story.

Read Aloud:

I would read this entire book aloud, pausing to allow the children to reply to the pigeon’s questions.

Personal Opinion:

This is my first Mo Willems’ book, and I loved it. I appreciate how it engages and involves the reader. I also love the illustrations. They are so simple and inspire students to try their own hand at illustrating their writing.

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

Author & Illustrator: 

William Steig

Caldecott Award Winning 

Picture Book

Grade Levels:

2^nd and 3^rd

The situations in this book offer opportunities for creative and in depth thinking which would be appropriate for 2^nd and 3^rd graders.

Summary:

At the beginning of the story the main character, Sylvester, finds a beautiful new pebble for his pebble collection. Sylvester soon finds out that the pebble is magical and grants wishes. The power of the pebble is exhibited when Sylvester accidentally changes himself into a rock in order to escape a lion. The climax of the story comes when his parents go on a picnic, grief stricken by the loss of their son. They set up their picnic on the rock Sylvester has become and accidentally wish him back to his previous form.  In the end, the pebble is put away for safe keeping.

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble in the classroom:

I would use this book by having the children use their prediction skills. I would have them guess aloud or in groups about what they think will happen to Sylvester after he is turned into a rock.

I would also use this book to have the children think about what they think should happen to the pebble after Sylvester is saved by his parents. This would have the students use their critical thinking skills.

ESOL strategies with Sylvester and the Magic Pebble:

ESOL students can draw what they would do if they found a magic pebble. This allows them to think about the story and relate it to themselves.

ESOL students can work in group to create a skit based on the story. By acting out the story they will get a better understanding of the theme of the story.

Read Aloud:

I would read the entire book aloud. I would pause at certain points for the students to be able to make predictions, offer insight, or share their own experiences.

Personal Opinion:

I really enjoyed this book. The story is really great and I love how it makes students able to think and what they are reading on a different level. I would like to find more books like this that have moral dilemmas, because they are excellent for prompting art assignments, classroom discussion, or writing assignments.

Benny and Penny in

THE BIG NO-NO!

Author and Illustrator: 

Geoffrey Hayes

A Geisel Award winning picture (toon) book

Grade Level:

K-2

          The lessons and characters in this book are really simple and appropriate for teaching different concepts to students who are in kindergarten through 2^nd grade.

Summary:

Using comic book format, the author and illustrator, Geoffrey Hayes, takes us into the world of Benny and Penny. Benny and Penny have a new neighbor and they think she has stolen Benny’s pail. They decide to steal it back and are confronted by their new neighbor Melina, who they squabble with. Then they run away with the pail. In the end, they discover that Benny’s pail was not stolen and apologize to Melina and return her pail.

In the Classroom:

          One lesson I would use with Benny and Penny, is teaching students how to apologize. I would talk about how Benny and Penny jumped to conclusions about Melina and how this got them into a lot of trouble.

          Another lesson I would use is teaching the students to create their own stories in a comic book style. This would combine creative writing and art.

ESOL Strategies:

          ESOL students can really benefit from books like Benny and Penny because predictions can be made looking at the pictures. I would try to find more books like this one to help ESOL students be able to connect text and pictures.

ESOL students can also work with other students in creating a Benny and Penny puppet show. They can create the characters and then help to arrange the script by what characters say in the book.

Read Aloud:

I would read the entire book aloud, making sure to use different voices for each character and point out how the thought bubble is coming for the speaking character.

Personal Opinion:

          I really enjoyed how Benny and Penny is written. The comic book style entices the reader to continue reading to the end. The theme was simple and a universal lesson was taught in the end. I am now going to look for more books written in this style for my classroom library.

Science Fiction

                A 

Wind in the Door

Author: 

Madeleine L’Engle

Grade Level:

5^th and 6^th

This story has complicated vocabulary and themes which would be appropriate to introduce to this age group.

Summary:

The main character, Meg, is faced with the fact that her beloved brother Charles Wallace is very sick. A “cherubim” arrives and takes Meg, Calvin, and their principal Mr. Jenkins deep inside the mitochondria in Charles Wallace’s body. In the climax of the story Meg fights evil and hate inside the mitochondria and saves her brother’s life. Meg learns a valuable lesson in the end by learning to love and appreciate the goodness that is in everyone.

A Wind in the Door in the classroom:

          A Wind in the Door is a great choice book to offer students, especially those who loved A Wrinkle in Time. It offers exciting reading with a great plot.  It also introduces students to the genre of science fiction in a series of interrelated books.

          A great lesson for the whole class would be to split into groups and have the students do character webs on the main characters in this story, including Meg, Calvin, and Mr. Jenkins.

ESOL strategies for A Wind in the Door:

Science fiction can be tricky for ESOL students because of the scientific concepts and use of more difficult words. I think having an Audio version of the book for the student to follow along to would be helpful.

Art is also a great way to connect the ESOL student to the story. Having them draw what they think the setting and characters looks like helps to assess their understanding of the story.

Read Aloud:

I would read pages 59-66 aloud to the class. These pages offer an explanation of what Meg’s challenges will be in her quest to cure Charles Wallace of his mystery illness. Meg’s love for her brother and his wellbeing are illustrated in these passages. Also, a magical creature is introduced with the use of vivid adjectives which help to paint a picture of what a “cherubim” might look like.

Personal Opinion:

I never considered myself a fan of science fiction, but I loved a Wrinkle in Time and was inclined to read the next book in the series A Wind in the Door. I was not disappointed; this book was a wonderful and exciting read.  I love the character Meg, because I remember how I felt as a teenage with low self esteem and issues with my hair. Even though Meg saves her brother life in A Wrinkle in Time and A Wind in the Door, I am certain in A Swiftly Tilting Planet, the next installment in the series, that she will still feel like she is just an awkward teen with no special attributes.

As a teacher it is important to know what kind of genres your students like to read, but it is also important to introduce them to new genres as well. As I was reading both A Wrinkle in Time and A Wind in the Door, I was able to compare a lot of the themes and characters to the Harry Potter series. I would definitely recommend this book to students who fell in love with Harry Potter, read all the books, and are now looking for a new adventure series to get into. 

Picture Books

How do Dinosaurs Say I Love You?

Author: 

Jane Yolen

Illustrator: 

Mark Teague

Grade Level:

K-2

          This is a short picture book with a small amount of text. Some of the words and concepts could be used and made more challenging for grades K-2.

Summary:

          This book is about the trials and tribulations that the caregivers of the dinosaurs in the story go through. Through the illustration sequence and accompanying text, we learn that even though the caregivers are annoyed with the childlike behavior of the dinosaurs, they always love them. The theme of unconditional love is conveyed throughout the book.

How Do Dinosaur Say I Love You?  In the Classroom:

One lesson that can be taught using this book is rhymes, because the book using a rhyming scheme throughout.

This book can also be used in science when teaching about dinosaurs, because all the dinosaurs in the book are real. A chart at the beginning and end of the book has all of the dinosaurs contained in the book and their names.

ESOL Strategies:

          One strategy that can be used that would benefit ESOL students in rhyming is choral reading. By having the whole class read the text, the ESOL student can hear the rhyming words out loud. Choral reading also allows the student to have the opportunity to participate with a large group and not be singled out individually.

Audio technology is also a way the ESOL student can begin to understand the text. The teacher can record themselves reading the book, allowing an ESOL student to listen while looking at the text. This allows the student to listen to the text as many times as they need to in order to understand it.

Read Aloud:

          Because this book is short with limited text I would read the entire book aloud.

Personal Opinion:

          I thought this book was an average picture book. I thought that the illustrations were not up to par with how imaginative the story was. I really enjoyed the theme of unconditional love and how the dinosaurs acted like young children. I think it is neat that a 5 year old can read this book and relate to prehistoric creatures. I also really enjoyed the text and how it was almost “sing-song”. I would probably have this book on hand in my classroom because it allows for a number of different lesson plans.

I love you as Big 

as the World

Author:

Davis Van 

Buren

Illustrator: 

Tim Warnes

 Grade Level: 

PK-K

          This is a short book with a lot of repeated vocabulary which is appropriate for beginning readers.

Summary:

          This picture book shares the story of the love between and bear and her cub. The illustrations use thin faded lines and muted soft colors which give a mood of tranquility and peace. The text is written like concrete poetry which offers movement to the story.

I Love You as Big as the World in the classroom:

I would use this book to teach the beginnings of using adjectives. Since there are many describing words in the book, I would point these out and add them to a word wall to use in the classroom every day.

I would also create a lesson about concrete poetry. As a class, I would ask the students to look at each page and how the text is written. I would then ask the students why they think the author wrote it this way.

I Love You as Big as the World ESOL strategies:

          One thing I would do for ESOL students is create a word sheet for this book with the high frequency words that are used in the book. The word sheet would have the word in English and the word in their native language. This allows them to become familiar with what the word means because they can relate it to the word they already know in their native language. Also, I would focus all of their attention on one page at a time. This will prevent the student from becoming overwhelmed because each page has only 6-7 words, and many of these words repeat throughout the book.

Read Aloud:

          I would read the whole book aloud. It is short with limited text. I would then divide the class into groups and have each group read one page aloud together, so then the class will be able to hear the story aloud twice and, the second time, be a part of it.

Personal Opinion:

          I really like this picture book. The illustrations and the text make it a sweet book that really expresses the love a parent has for a child. I also love that it is a good selection for the younger students whom I plan to teach one day. I think I Love You as Big as the World would be a wonderful book to use in a guided reading group.

Duck 

for President

Author: 

Doreen Cronin

Illustrator: 

Betsy Lewin

Grade Level

2^nd – 4^th

          I think the social studies and civics concepts that can be taught with this book would be appropriate in 2^nd through 4^th grade classes.

Summary:

          The main character, Duck, is discontent with his daily chores on the farm so, with the help of the animals, he has an election to oust Farmer Brown and become in charge of the farm. In a whirlwind of political mayhem, Duck ends up becoming the president the United States. In the end, Duck realizes that being in charge is harder than his life was at the farm, so he leaves the White House to write his autobiography.

Duck for President in the classroom:

Duck for president offers many opportunities to teach students about the political process.  One lesson can address elections and voting. The students can have their own election to determine the class mascot or to choose a class pet.

One lesson can teach about the different levels of government from local officials to the President of the United States.

ESOL strategies with Duck for President:

When teaching ESOL students about the political system in America, make sure to fill in any gaps they might have that you might consider common knowledge. For example, a student new to the United States may not know that each state has a governor. Explain directions on how you want things done thoroughly and repeat it as many times as needed to make sure you are understood.

Read Aloud:

          I would read the entire book aloud. There are certain parts of the books I would go over when I am trying to teach certain concepts about elections or voting.

Personal Opinion:

          Duck for President is one of my favorite picture books of all time. I have had my own copy of it for years. I love that the illustrations work so well with the story. I also love that the book offers a way to teach politics without being political. It lends itself to so many learning opportunities even though primarily it is a funny story about a duck not wanting to do chores. I will definitely have this book in my classroom library and I am proud to say that I have it in my personal library.

A Visitor for Bear

Author:

Bonny Becker

Illustrator:

Kady 

MacDonald Denton

Grade Level:

Kindergarten and 1^st grade

A Visitor for Bear is a wonderful book for kindergarten and 1^st grade because the story is easy to follow when being read aloud, and it offers learning opportunities appropriate for that age group.

Summary:

The main character, Bear, likes to be alone. A mouse starts to show up all over Bear’s house, infuriating him. In the end, Bear learns that he likes having Mouse as a friend.

A Visitor for Bear in the classroom:

One lesson that A Visitor for Bear lends itself to is teaching students about the importance of building friendships, even with the most unlikely of people

Another lesson that can be taught in this book is the use of dialogue. Bear and Mouse have dialogue between them, offering the ability to teach about quotation marks and how they are used.

ESOL strategies with A Visitor for Bear:

          Because A Visitor for Bear is so dialogue driven, it offers a wonderful opportunity for the students to create a reader’s theatre activity, which is very helpful for ESOL student’s comprehension.

Another strategy is to allow the ESOL student to go on a picture walk through the book before the teacher reads it to the class. This allows them the ability to make predictions about what is going to happen in the story before they read aloud.

Read Aloud:

I would read this entire book aloud. I may pick a couple of parts to stop briefly for the students to make predictions throughout the book.

Personal Opinion:

I really enjoyed A Visitor for Bear. The theme of the book is clearly brought across by the expressive dialogue and the use of textured illustrations. I always love books with the theme of friendship and how important it is. 

Concept Books

The Dangerous Alphabet

Author: Neil Gaiman

Illustrated by: Gris Grimly

Grade Level: 3^rd and 4^th

Although the concept in this book, the alphabet, is geared more toward younger students, I think the way it is illustrated and presented would appeal more toward 3^rd and 4^th graders if used in the right way.

Summary:

          The Dangerous Alphabet is a concept book that teaches the alphabet. Each page depicts a letter of the Alphabet which is then associated with a word. The author and illustrator present this concept by having two children travel though a scary world of monsters, ghosts and goblins. The illustrator’s use of muted colors contributes to the gory and strange mood of the book. In the end they return home safely and every letter of the alphabet has been revealed to the reader.

Use of The Dangerous Alphabet in the classroom:

          I think a great way to use this book in the classroom is to bring it in with a couple of other concept books that focus on the alphabet. Students can then compare and contrast how the same concepts can be presented in many different ways.

Another activity is to divide the class into small groups and assign each group a couple of letters of the alphabet until every letter of the alphabet is accounted for by a specific group. Then, the students in the group write and illustrate a part of their own alphabet concept book based on the letters you assigned them. Once the whole class is finished the class will have created a complete concept book.

ESOL strategies with The Dangerous Alphabet:

When working with compare and contrast, it is important for the ESOL student to be able to compare the different texts and pictures in each concept book. The teacher can model how to compare and contrast in a different activity so the student can feel confident in the activity. I think the group work and being able to show comprehension though illustrations will also help ESOL students.

Read Aloud:

          Because this is a short concept book I would read the whole thing aloud making sure they whole class can see the illustrations as well. I would also real aloud one or two other alphabet concept books so they can compare and contrast the differences in their minds while I am reading.

Personal Opinion:

          I loved this book. I have seen the alphabet presented in concept books in many different ways, but never is such a unique and weird way. The illustrations in this book are essential as is the text font used.  As I read Neil Gaiman’s words and got lost in Gris Grimly’s illustrations, I was transported into this creepy alphabet world much like the children in the story. I also enjoyed how Neil Gaiman wrote the story in rhyming couplets which offers me the ability to teach rhyming to younger students and different types of poetic structure to older students.

 Babar’s Book of Color

Author & Illustrator: Laurent De Brunhoff

Grade Level: Pre K-K

This is a concept book focused on color, which is age appropriate for younger students in Pre-K and Kindergarten.

Summary:

          The main character, Babar, allows his children to use some of his paints to create their own works of art. The illustrations in the book are trimmed and shaped and do not take up the whole page, allowing the colors to really pop out. While they are painting, Babar teaches his children about mixing primary colors to get other colors they might want to use in their paintings. In the end, the concept of primary colors and creating new colors is exhibited.

Babar’s Book of Color in the classroom:

One lesson that can be used in allowing students to create their own colors is by mixing primary paints together to get new colors just like in the book.

You can also create a color/animal scavenger hunt in the classroom with some of the painted animals the Babar’s children painted in the book. For example, you can have the children look for “the red lobster” that Alexander painted or “the pink flamingo” Flora painted.

ESOL strategies with Babar’s Book of Color:

One way to accommodate ESOL students when learning about color is to have a print-rich classroom where the color is displayed with the name written out on it. This allows the ESOL student to associate the color with the word.

To make the art center more comfortable for ESOL students, a teacher could label the paints with the word for the color in English as well as the student’s native language.

Read Aloud:

          I would read the entire book aloud because it isn’t very long and the text is simple. I think I would stop and make sure the students understood, especially before the pages where the primary colors are being mixed to form new colors.  I would ask the students to tell me about the colors we already learned about and then continue reading about mixing colors.

Personal Opinion:

          I thought Babar’s Book of Color was a decent concept book on color. I am not very familiar with the character of Babar so I did not have background knowledge to make me emotionally attached to the characters in the book. What I really liked about the book was that the pages were giant white empty pages which allowed for the colors to really pop off the pages. The book is also very large which makes it great for reading aloud and showing the students the illustrations. The story itself was kind of standard and really did not have anything that “wowed” me. I think that I would look for more creative concept books on color for my classroom.