Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
Author & Illustrator:
Mo Willems
Caldecott Honor
Picture Book
Grade Level:
K-1st
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:
2nd and 3rd
The situations in this book offer opportunities for creative and in depth thinking which would be appropriate for 2nd and 3rd 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 2nd 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.
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