Missing May

Missing May
Author: Cynthia Rylant
Realistic Fiction

Summer lives with her elderly foster parents Ob and May. Ob is an artist and May enjoys working in the garden. Summer loves the small town they live in, even if they don't live the most glamorous life. When May suddenly passes away, Ob and Summer are overcome with grief the pair struggle to live life without their precious May. In addition to missing May, Summer worries that Ob is slipping away from her and tries desperately to get closer to him and make sense of what May left behind. One day, while sitting in the garden, Ob is visited by May's spirit. Summer at first does not believe him, but Ob sounds happy and hopeful, so she goes along with his story. Meanwhile a young boy from Summer's school starts hanging around their house. Cletus is quirky and does not have the best hygiene, making him even less appealing to Summer But, Ob takes a liking to Cletus and in order to make Ob happy Summer puts up with Cletus' long visits and stupid photo collections. One day, Ob tells Cletus the story about May's spirit and the two decide to visit a phychic in the next town over to arrange a conversation with May through the Medium. Summer finds the whole notion a little silly, but Ob is happy and she herself is beginning to believe that May is hanging around. At this point, the venture of talking with May again gets the best of her and Summer agrees to try the psychic. The three take a trip to the next town to meet the woman who can help them get closer to may, but upon arriving at the address the group finds that the woman passed away long ago. Deflated, the group heads back home, dashing Cletus's hopes of visiting the capital on the way home. Ob is heartbroken, and Summer is nervous. But just as they are passing the exit to the capital, Ob's mind changes and he announces that they will visit the capital anyways. In the end Ob realizes that he will see May again some day and for now he needs to stay with Summer. In May's memory Ob places his precious whirlygigs out in the garden, where the wind, "May's spirit" can reach them. In addition to finding closure, Summer gets closer to Ob and gains a new friend who turns out not to be so bad.

The Milk Makers

The Milk Makers
By: Gail Gibbons
Non-Fiction

The Milk Makers is a wonderful non-fiction book explaining the process of milk production. It sequentially explains the process of how milk is harvested from cows and the process of preparing, bottling, and shipping the product. Gibbons provides wonderful illustrations as well as informational captions of the various types of cows, and machinery involved in making milk. The text is simple and organized with young researchers in mind.

Sootface: An Ojibwa Cinderella Story

Sootface: An Ojibwa Cinderella Story
Author: Robert San Souci
Illustrator: Daniel San Souci
Folk Tale/ Traditional

Sootface is an Ojibwa spin on the traditional Cinderella story. Sootface has two mean older sisters who make her do all of the cleaning, causing her face to be dirty and burned from tending the fire. All Sootface wishes is to find a husband. One day, word spreads around the village that the village's mysterious and cunning hunter is looking for a bride. There is a catch though, he is invisible to those who are not of pure heart, and he will only marry the woman who can tell what his bow is made of. Young girls from around the village, including Sootface's sisters flock to try and win the young hunter's heart. But, time after time the women are not able to see the man and falsely describe what his bow is made of. One day, the hunter's sister approaches Sootface and asks her if she can see her brother. Sootface, is overcome by the handsome man before her and his beautiful rainbow weapon. Knowing that Sootface must truly see her brother, the hunter's sister announces their marriage. On her wedding, Sootface's burned skin and hair magically return to their former state and she glows with beauty. The couple is happy, and Sootface's sisters are then forced to do the chores for themselves.

Goodbye 382 Shin Dang Dong

Goodbye 382 Shin Dang Dong
Author: Frances Park
International/ Multicultural

Jangmi, a young Korean girl is moving to America and leaving her home at 382 Sin Dang Dong. Before leaving for the U.S friends and family throw a good-bye party for her, making it even more unbearable to leave behind those she loves. She will especially miss her best friend Kisuni. Jangmi moves into a new house in Massachusetts, where she meets friendly neighbors and a young girl named Mary. This story provides insight on what it is like to leave behind all you know, only to be immersed in a foreign culture. It takes her some time to adjust, but in the end Jangmi shows readers that despite the struggles of learning the ways of a new country, change can bring good as well.

A Picture Book of Christopher Columbus

A Picture Book of Christopher Columbus
Author: David Adler
Illustrator: John and Alexandra Wallner
Biography

This book outlines the highlights of the life of Christopher Columbus, ranging from his childhood to his later achievements as an explorer and sailor. It includes important dates and people from Columbus' life, using simple language and rich pictures to form a biography suitable for young readers.

Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky

Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky
Author: Elphinstone Dayrell
Illustrator: Blair Lent
Folk/ Traditional

This book explores an African pourquoi tale explaining why the Sun and his wife the Moon, live in the sky. The Sun is good friends with Water, who has a very large house. One day while Sun is visiting Water, Water asks the Sun why he is never invited to his home. Water asks Sun to build a larger house so that he and all of the water people can visit. The Sun and Moon quickly get to building their house. The Water people visit and the house becomes so full that the Sun and Moon have to move to the roof, and then it becomes even more crowded that the couple is forced into the sky. There they have remained ever since.

The Wanderer

The Wanderer
Author: Sharron Creech
Illustrator: David Diaz

Click this link for a flip book synopsis:
http://www.mixbook.com/photo-books/education/the-wanderer-4726520

The Song of Mulan

The Song of Mulan
By: Jeanne M Lee
Multicultural/ International

The Song of Mulan, tells the classic tale of a young Chinese woman who runs away from home to fight in the war in stead of her ailing father. Buying a horse and stealing her father's armor she sets off to join the army. Mulan leads the life of a male soldier for 10 years and accomplishes many feats. When the emperor offers her a rich reward, she asks only for a camel to bring her back to her village. Once at home, she dresses in beautiful silk, and convinces her comrades that courage and fighting skills are not just limited to men. This inspiring story tells the classic ballad, and is written as the title suggests, poetic and song like.

The Talking Eggs

The Talking Eggs
Author: Robert San Souci
Illustrator: Jerry Pinkney
Traditional/ Folk

The talking eggs is an adaptation of a Creole folk tale. The story is about a young girl named Blanche who lives in a small Louisiana home with her sinister mother and older sister Rose. At home Blanche is expected to do all of the work, and is often taken advantage of and mocked by her mother and sister. One day, Blanche meets a mysterious old woman in the woods. After giving the old woman some water, Blanche is led to her home, where she is met by some strange animals. The woman tells Blanche not to laugh, and despite the funny looking animals she obeys. The woman has several other trials for her, until finally she leads her into the chicken coop and rewards her with magic eggs which lead to great fortunes for Blanche. Upon returning home, Rose and her mother become jealous of Blanche and con her into telling where she got the eggs from. The next day, Rose is sent into the woods to seek out the old lady and receive her share of the treasures. She meets the old woman, but fails to follow her directions and in the end winds up with nothing. This story is filled with wonderful illustrations, and spectacular scenes.

Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace
Author: Mary Hoffman
Illustrator: Caroline Binch
Realistic Fiction

Amazing Grace is the tale of a young girl who loves to tell stories, and play the role of her favorite characters. One day, Grace finds out that her class is going to do a performance of Peter Pan. Grace wants to try out for Peter Pan, but her friends tell her she can't because she is a girl, and African American. Feeling deflated, Grace goes home to her Nana and tells her all about her horrible day. Her Nana inspires Grace by taking her to see a ballet, and tells her than she can do anything. Grace decides to try out for the play after all, giving a wonderful performance. Of course, she gets the part of Peter Pan, and all of her friends tell her how great she was at the auditions. In the end, Grace stays true to herself and shows others that she is capable of doing whatever she puts her mind to.

Classroom Application/Reflection:
I used this book with my class of 3rd grade students to teach a lesson about gender roles. After reading Amazing grace, the class discussed whether it was ok for girls to like boy things, and boys to like girl things. We also discussed some of our favorite story characters, realizing that girls sometimes liked male protagonists, and males sometimes liking females. They seemed to connect with Grace, and all agreed that people should do what they want and should not feel pressured to act a certain way because of their gender. Students then participated in a WebQuest I created specifically for this lesson, where they learned about other important people in history who broke the mold like Grace did. Afterwards, students were given paper to design a poster for school play auditions that were encouraging to people of all gender, age, race, or socio-economic status. Overall the lesson went very well. The students were really excited about not only doing a group project, but also being able to use laptops. My SBTE is more on the traditional side and does not usually have technology applications for her lessons. I was unsure of whether she would be up for the challenge of a large lesson such as this, but it worked very well. At the end of the lesson she even commented on how the students were really engaged, provided lots of feedback during discussion and produced high quality work. I would love to try this lesson again seeing how much they liked it.

Ideas for this lesson were collected from:
http://www.dcmp.org/guides/10045.pdf

See the full lesson plan that I implemented here, including a link to the WebQuest:
https://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AcvxAeISuG7qZGR2cnMzMmtfMzJnZjdndnpmcg&hl=en

Extreme Animals

Extreme Animals: The Toughest Creatures on Earth
Author: Nicola Davies
Illustrator: Neal Layton

Compared the the animals of the desert, oceans, and the Arctic, Humans are just big wimps! Extreme Animals is a book dedicated to the animals who manage to thrive in the harshest of conditions. The book shares facts about the survival mechanisms of penguins, polar bears, camels, and roadrunners...just to name a few. Filled with comics, and interesting diagrams and pictures, this book is sure to engage readers of all ages.

For more information on this book and the facts it shares please go to:

http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/extremeanimalbook

The BFG

The BFG
Author: Roald Dahl
Illustrator: Quentin Blake
Modern Fantasy/Fiction

The "Big Friendly Giant", is the story of a little orphan named Sophie who lives in London England. One night she is unable to sleep, and while she is lying in bed, she is stirred by a noise outside her window. Sophie witnesses a giant blowing something into the windows down the street. Suddenly, the giant spots Sophie and scoops her up and carries off to giant country. Fortunately, Sophie was kidnapped by a friendly giant who calls himself the BFG. He explains to the girl that he collects dreams in jars and blows good dreams into the bedrooms of young "childers". But, he also warns her of the evil giants who eat "human beans" and stop him from doing his job. Sophie, distraught by the thought of people being gobbled every night decides to help the BFG devise a plan to stop the evil giants once and for all. But, what can a little girl and a meek giant do to help save the world? Realizing they don't have the resources to go about capturing the giants alone, Sophie decides to recruit the help of the Queen of England. With the help of the Queen's army, Sophie's wit, and the BFG's dream mixing skills, the giants are captured and kept in a giant hole only to eat the most putrid of foods found in giant country. Snozzcumbers! Roald Dahl does not disappoint with this remarkable tale filled with interesting characters, and plenty of twists to leave the reader wanting to read more.


Classroom Application:
After reading the BFG by Roald Dahl, students can roleplay as an English journalist/news reporter. Students will work in groups to write and act out their news story. They may use FlipCams to record a 2-5 segment about the capture of the evil giants. The story must include facts from the book including the names of the perpetrators, a description of their crimes, and how they were captured. Students may choose to include artist renditions of the giants, provide a short dramatization of the event, or interview of witnesses or special persons in their report. Costumes are encouraged!

Tiki Tiki Tembo

Tiki Tiki Tembo
Author: Arlene Mosel
Illustrator: Blair Lent
Folk/Traditional

Tiki Tiki Tembo tells the story of two brothers in China. One brother was simply named Chang, but the other had a very long and unusual name because in China at that time it was tradition to give the older son a very long important name. The older brother's full name was Tiki Tiki Tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo. In the story the older brother falls into the well and Chang runs to his mother to get help. Chang is frantic, and because his brother's name is so long it takes several tries for him to finally get the message across to his mother. Finally, his mother tells him to go and fetch the old man and his ladder to get the boy out of the well. But, when he visits the old man, the same thing happens. Chang is so nervous that he jumbles his words and it takes several tries for the old man to understand what he is saying. Finally, Chang slows down enough to tell the old man what has happened and they both rush to the well to get Tiki Tiki Tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo out. The old man revives Chang's brother and he is never the same afterwards. This tale speculates why today Chinese children are now given short and often one-syllable names.

The Moon

The Moon
By: Seymour Simon
Non-Fiction/Science

Ever wonder what the Moon looks like up close? Well, now you have the chance. Seymour Simon lets the reader get up close and personal with our Moon and explains many of its unique features in his book The Moon. In this book you can find stunning NASA photos and the answers to common questions about the moon such as, why there is no weather or sound on the moon, and why astronauts bounce. Scientifically accurate and informative, this book should be on every aspiring astronomers book shelf.

Classroom Application:
This book can be used to introduce students to some features of the Moon and facts, to prepare them for a more extensive Moon study unit. One suggestion for a Moon study activity would involve the students studying the topography of the Moon and its special features in order to design a suitable space craft to travel to the moon, and to choose an appropriate lunar landing site.(see link below) The students may use the book above, or other resources provided by the teacher such as other books, maps, photographs, or websites. Students will be placed in groups of four. Each team will have a Chief Engineer, Scientist, Lunar Geologist and a Public Relations Manager. Students will research features of spacecrafts,(perhaps by studying the Apollo shuttle mentioned in Seymour Simon's book)and study the topography of the Moon in order to choose a landing spot. Together the group will create PowerPoint presentation showing the design of their spacecraft, reasons for their design, landing location, and why they chose that spot. Students may choose to include photos, video clips, and text in their presentations.

Ideas for this lesson were borrowed from NASA.gov. Additional resources and a complete lesson plan can be found at: http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/180575main_ETM.Lunar.Land.Sites.pdf

The Book of Three (Chronicles of Prydain)

The Book of Three
By: Lloyd Alexander
Fantasy

Taran lives in quiet Caer Dalben with kind farmer Col and the mysterious elderly scholar Dalben. Taran serves as assistant pig keeper to a rather special oracular pig named Hen Wen. Taran dreams of being a Hero, which is discouraged by Dalben who warns him of the wrath of evil lord Arawn, but does not tell Taran any details. One day,the animals on the farm become unsettled so Dalben seeks Hen Wen's oracular abilities by having her read letter sticks. Hen Wen, distressed, breaks from her pen out of fear and Taran runs to the forest in search for her. Taran loses the pig's trail, but runs into even worse trouble when he encounters the Horned King, an evil henchman of Lord Arawn who is planning on taking over Prydain. Taran is injured, and manages to escape before blacking out. When he awakes he finds himself under the care of a real hero, Gwydion crown Prince of Pridain's house of Don. Gwydion and Taran set off together to find the pig, which seems to be known for her abilities. On their search they run into a small wild humanoid creature named Gurgi who turns out to be a dedicated servant. Along the way they also free a mysterious young enchantress named Eilonwy, as well as a Bard named Flewddur Fflam from Queen Archen's castle. Suddenly, Taran is thrust into a battle between good and evil, and is given the chance to be a real hero. The book is filled with adventure, magic, and addicting plot twists which pulls the reader into the world of Prydain. The book is one of five in the series: The Chronicles of Prydain.

The Lunch Lady and the Author Visit Vendetta

The Lunch Lady and the Author Visit Vendetta
By: Jarrett J. Krosoczka
Graphic Novel/Fiction

Students Dee, Terrance, and Hector are very excited for Author Visit Day at their school. But, when the famous author of the Flippy Bunny books arrives, mysterious things begin to happen. Mr. Scribson is finicky and very temper mental, on the day of the signing he refuses to sign Hector's worn copy of Flippy bunny, and snatches it away. On top of this, the students can't locate Coach Birkby for the soccer tryouts. In the background, Lunch Lady and her sidekick Betty take on the challenge of solving this mystery. After following Mr. Scribson and surveying his estate, they realize that he has kidnapped and brainwashed several gym teachers across the country to be his servants! With Lunch Lady's secret food gadgets and spy skills, she cracks the case and finds out what Mr. Scribson's motive really is.

Hate That Cat

Hate That Cat
Author: Sharon Creech
Realistic Fiction/Poetry

Hate That Cat is a humorous compilation of a young boy's poems about life, poetry, and the love and hate of cats. Jack enjoys writing, even though his Uncle criticizes his writing as "just words". He enjoys mimicking the writing styles of various authors studied in Miss Stretchberry's class. Throughout the novel Jack writes poems about his old dog Sky, and about his run-ins with the mean black cat down the street. Just when Jack had decided he hated cats, a friend from school brings in a litter to show the class. That Christmas, Jack unwraps a strange furry gift named Skitter. Jack decides that cats can be pretty cute and even cool after all! All is well until Skitter escapes from the house, only to return with the help of the mean black cat. Jack changes his mind about cats and finds a new purpose for writing, to help connect with his mother who can't hear.

Amber Brown is Feeling Blue

Amber Brown if Feeling Blue
Author: Paula Danzinger
Illustrator: Tony Ross
Realistic Fiction

Amber Brown is just an ordinary girl with an extrodinary name. She takes great pride in the fact that her name is a color, she even dresses up as a crayon for Halloween. One evening Amber's mom and her fiance Max ask her if she'd like to visit her future family members in Walla Walla Washington. Excited about the idea of adventure, she accepts to take a trip with them for Thanksgiving. Just as Amber thought that everything was working out, she remembers that her Dad will be arriving back in town from Paris for that same weekend. She is torn between two sides when her parents ask her to choose which she would rather do. Should she spend time with her Dad, who will be all alone on Thanksgiving and whom she has not seen in months? Or should she go to Walla Walla as promised? Amber tries to find ways to distract herself, and just when she thought things couldn't get any worse, a new girl at school arrives, and her name is a color too! Amber eventually befriends the infamous Kelly Green and decides to have a girls night to take some stress off her looming decision. When the time comes Amber decides to spend Thanksgiving with her Dad since he will be all alone, and agrees to spend Christmas with the rest of the family. While Amber is still unsure whether she did the right thing, her father is happy and that is all she wants.

Owl Moon

Owl Moon
Author: Jane Yolen
Illustrator: John Schoenherr
Realistic Fiction/Poetry

Owl Moon is a gentle poetic story that depicts a special relationship between a young girl and her father. Late one winter evening the pair go out into the forest to go "owling", a family tradition. They wait for the moon to rise, and embark into the dark quiet forest. The girl takes note of the sounds and sights as they quietly trudge along. The girl learns to be quiet and still while her father makes the owl call. The night is cold, and there is no sign of an owl. But just as the pair gives up to go home, the owl call is returned and the giant bird lands on a nearby branch. The little girl gazes at the bird for what seems like forever, when finally it lifted off the branch "like a shadow". Although excited, the young girl walks quietly back home with her father, hopeful.

Jalapeno Bagels

Jalapeno Bagels
Author: Natasha Wing
Illustrator: Robert Castilla
Multicultural

Paolo loves to help his parents run the family bakery. It offers a collection of Mexican and Jewish treats which reflect the cultures of his mother and father. When Paolo decides to participate in his school's international festival, he is torn in what treat he will bring to the celebration. Will it be his mother's Mexican pan dulce, empanadas, or his favorite chango bars? Or what about his father's bagels and challah bread? Paolo decides to create a food that celebrates both cultures and takes on the task of making jalapeno bagels, with his parents. The book celebrates diversity and paints the portrait of an American family with a blended culture.

Classroom Application:
This book can be used as an introduction to a unit on celebrating families and diversity through food. To bring the families into the classroom and explore family cultures, students can work as a class to create a digital cookbook. Students will research their family's cultural background and collect recipes from their relatives which represent their country of origin or traditions. Students will then make a movie on the preparation, ingredients and cooking instructions for their recipe using MovieMaker software and Flip Cams. Movies can include pictures, music, videos and the students voice, as long as they provide all the information needed to make the final product. Recipes will be shared through a classroom blog where students can share their treats with classmates, and their families.

The lesson above was inspired a 4th grade classroom cookbook blog:

http://clacookbook.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2010-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&updated-max=2011-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=24

Wings

Wings
By: Christopher Meyers
Fantasy

Ikarus Jackson is the new boy on the block, and has a rather strange appearance. Not only does he sport a t-shirt and jeans but he also owns a pair of "long, strong, proud wings!" He walks and flies around the town with confidence until the people of the community make it clear that his wings are not welcome. His classmates, teacher, and even the policemen all criticize his appearance, which eventually leads to his dismissal from school. Confused and misunderstood, Ikarus roams the rooftops with no one to talk to. But, little does he know, he has an admirer who knows his loneliness. The shy outcast is intrigued by Ikarus' difference and finds the courage to stand up to the un-accepting community and lets Ikarus know that his wings are loved. The tale of Ikarus Jackson inspires readers to embrace their differences and celebrate individuality.