Little Doe

Little Doe

Written by Angela McAllister

Illustrated by Tina Macnaughton

Paragon, 2012

32 pages

Fantasy

       This is really cute book, and I just happen to stumble upon it. I have always loved anything involving deer, so that is why I bought this book. It is about a little doe who is very timid and scared of everything. At the end of the story, she ends up saving the day from the Giant Shadow Bird!

       The illustrations are done in watercolor and are just lovely. I did a mini-lesson with this book last week with my RITE child and she love the pictures! They are very soft and delicate. The night scenes are especially beautiful.

       If you were using this book in the classroom, you could use a character development strategy. You could also talk about windmills and the alternative energy sources we are in the process of developing now with the win turbines for a science lesson. You could also talk about deforestation to build on that topic.

The Velveteen Rabbit

The Velveteen Rabbit

Written by Margery Williams

Illustrated by Allen Atkinson

Armand Eisen, 1983

40 pages

Fantasy

       This is one of the most precious possessions that I own. My personal copy of the Velveteen Rabbit. I can't talk for to long about this story without getting teary. Pictured above is my copy of the Velveteen Rabbit that was bought me when I was a baby. My Dad wrote mine and my sisters name in the front.

It is worn and loved and used, just like the Velveteen Rabbit. 

       The artwork is fantastic. It is done in mostly colored pencils and some watercolors, I think. I could just look at these pictures all day. Not without getting teary though.

       I believe that the only justice that you can do for the spirit of this story, is to just leave it be and appreciate it for what it is. It is a wonderfully beautiful story about a boy who loved a toy with all his heart, even though it was not beautiful and had nothing to offer him. Every little girl and little boy should be read this story, and have discussions about the story.

The Invisible Moose

The Invisible Moose

Written by Dennis Haseley

Illustrated by Steven Kellogg

Dial Books, 2006

39 pages

Fantasy

       To be perfectly honest I chose this book because of this fella...

...his name is Moose. Well, I fell in love with this little book! It is about a girl Moose and a boy Moose and they are precious, I tell you! I mean, just look...

I just love the left picture! They are looking at each other so sweetly! Anyway, back to the story. They really like each other. Then, some hunters come and take her away to the big city-to New York City! Moose goes on an adventure to rescue her, but he goes invisibly! The owl gives him a potion to make him invisible so that the hunters won't see him. This is such a cute story! I am so glad that I found it at the thrift store, and for only 75 cents!

       The illustrations are my favorite part! That is usually how it happens. If I love the pictures, then I will love the book. They are done in watercolor washes and acrylics. They are so vivid and bright, and I see something different every time I look at them.

       This would make a great writing prompt for upper grades. You could ask the students to write about where they would go and what they would do if they were invisible. Also, you could talk about geography since he travels down from Quebec to N.Y.C. Character development is another thing you could talk with your students about concerning this story. Moose has a strong character and goes to save his lady friend which shows bravery

       

The Sleeping Beauty

The Sleeping Beauty

Retold by Jane Carruth

Joshua Morris, 1984

15 pages

Traditional Literature

       This story is my all-time favorite! I love the Aurora verison that is Disney's. A baby daughter is born to a King and Queen. They have a big celebration, but forget to invite the oldest and most powerful fairy. At the celebration, this Fairy shows up and curses the baby. The youngest fairy still has a gift to give the child, so she reverses the curse to where the princess will not die, but just fall asleep. In the end, the handsome prince comes and finds her, kisses her, and everyone lives happily ever after!

       I enjoyed looking at these pictures to see how they were different from the images I have seen since I was a little girl. I think that these drawings were done exclusivley with colored pencils. They are very pretty and delicate looking. I paticularly love how "Maleficent" looks in this verison!

       Every classroom needs Fairy Tales, and this is one of the best ones. Children need to be exposed to this type of traditional literature because sadly, parents don't seem to be reading it to their children anymore. You could talk about what makes a book fiction. You could also research to see if there are any vines in the world that could actually cover a castle, like in the story. 

Rumpelstiltskin

Rumpelstiltskin

Retold and Illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky

Penguin Group, 1986

31 pages

Traditional Literature

       I have hear this story since I was a little girl, so that is why I chose this paticular book. Rumpelslitskin is a little man who comes out of thin air to the beautiful miller's daughter's aid. She has been given over to the king by her father to spin straw into gold. Her father bragged to the king about this, and she was told she would be sentenced to death if she didn't produce gold. So, Rumpelstiltskin comes and turns it for her and she ends up promising her first born child in return. The miller's daughter becomes queen and eventually outsmarts Rumpestiltskinl in the end.

       The illustrations are gorgeous! I think that they are done on watercolor. They are extremely life-like. The colors are so vibrant they look like they could be animated to me. The expression and details in the pictures is amazing.

       As far as using it in the classroom,you could have a discussion with your class about gold and how it is formed in the earth. It could also be a history lesson where you showed your stuedents how people used to spin fabric together to make clothes. You could use the name "Rumpelstilskin" to teach muli-syallabic words. This book recieved the Calecott Medal in 1986.

Mrs. Fox's Wedding

Retold by Sara and Stephen Corrin

Illustrated by Errol Le Cain

Doubleday and Company, 1980

29 pages

Traditional Literature

              This story is a Grimm fairy tale that I had never heard of before. I found book at a thrift store, and the foxes with many tails caught my attention. I stood right where I was and read it cover to cover. It was not what I was expecting. When Mrs. Fox's husband dies, who had nine tails,suitors come from all over to marry Mrs. Fox. At first, they are all different sorts of animals, and she rejects them all. Then other foxes come that have 7 tails, or 10 tails. She rejects them all because they are not like her husband was. One day, a fox comes who has nine tails and she falls head over heels!

       The illustrations are the best thing about this book! They are so classic looking, and I mean that in the best way possible. I believe they are done in watercolors and maybe some sort of pencil. The left picture is in color and the left is in black and white. This is the same on every page.

       The first thing that I think of when trying connecting it to the classroom is character development. Mrs. Fox will not even see someone who is not just like her, a fox. They have to have nine tails just like her husband. You could ask the students what they notice about Mrs. Fox's behavior. This is a little bit of a stretch, but you could use it with lower grades and have them count the different number of tails. Also, the pictures and their dress appears to be turn of the century. You could hook it into a history lesson by pointing out how differently they are dressed. Ask, "Why did people dress differently back then?"

Giant Children

Written by Brod Bagert

Illustrated by Tedd Arnold

Scholastic, 2002

27 pages

Poetry Collection

      This is a collection of poetry that I borrowed from my CT. The eyeballs of these "Giant Children" took me back at first. It was the first thing that I noticed. The collection starts out with a poem talking about the giant children. Turns out, the point of view of this poem came from the class hamster! One of the funniest poems in the collection is called "Booger Love", and it has a disclaimer at the top warning children to never recite it to a "grown-up" because it is so disgusting, and it is disgusting!

      The illustrations are not very life like, but are very funny. I am, of course, referring to the giant eyeballs! The pictures all have circular, uniform marks all throughout them, and the colors are mostly primary colors.

The illustrations were done with colored pencils and watercolor washes.

      This book would be appropriate for middle grades, starting with 3rd grade. The students would identify with all the silly situations these characters get into. You could use this to do a poetry study. "Giant Children" would also be good for character development-what not to do! You could turn some of these rhymes into songs for the students to memorize.

      

The Frogs Wore Red Suspenders

Rhymes by Jack Prelutsky

Pictures by Petra Mathers

Scholastic, 2002

63 pages

       This is a book that I borrowed from my CT's classroom. I wasn't instantly drawn to it like I have been others, but I enjoyed the poems and pictures.Most of these poems are either about animals or different places around the country. There is even a poem entitled, "Tuscaloosa". That's right- Tuscaloosa, Alabama! I was a little disappointed that there was no mention of a certain football team, or a guy name "Bear". There were just chickens dancing around at a barbeque.

       The illustrations are very cute. They are mostly made up of primary colors with some grayed out backgrounds.My favorite illustration is of an otter in the ocean. The illustrations are done in watercolors.

       This collection of poetry would be appropriate for all ages! These poems could just be enjoyed for what they are, or you could pull out all these great places that he writes about. You could use it for a hook into a history lesson about Mount Rushmore, or the Grand Canyon. There is a also a counting poem called "Seven Snails and Seven Snakes" that you could use for a counting/adding lesson. 

What A Day It Was At School!

Wriiten by Jack Prelutsky

Illustrated by Doug Cushman

Scholastic, 2006

39 pages

Poetry Collection

     This is a precious little book of poems. The cat on the front cover is on each page, in each illustration. It is infered that the poems are all about him, and I thought that was a neat thing to do for a poetry collection. This is a book that I borrowed from my CT. Every poem deals with a situation at school from the point of view of a student. One of my favorite my favorite poems is called "Teacher's Pet". 

     The illustrations are adorable! As I said before, the little kitty in the blue overalls is in each illustration for each separate poem. The pictures are fun to look at because there are a lot of things going on in them that aren't mentioned in the actual poems. The colors are soft and very pleasing to the eye. The illustrations were done acrylics.

     This poerty collection is approprate for all ages! I love it and laughed all the way through it! This collection has a lot of classroom connections! There is a poem talking about being in math class and the students struggling to learn about fractions! There is also a poem called, "I'm Learning Our History". The end of the poem says that we are making history now! I think the best thing that a teacher could pull from this collection is that the little kitty tries really hard at everything he does, even though he may not always succeed!

Hallowilloween Nefarious Silliness

Written and Illustrated by Calef Brown

 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010

32 Pages

Poetry Collection

     The cover of this book jumped out at me! I thought it was so cute and colorful, and obviously a Halloween theme. You don't even have to see the title to know that! This is considered non-sense verse, and it is hilarious! I think I laughed the most at the back inside flap where it talks about the author, Calef Brown. It says, "Calef Brown is a blue phantom elephant. He wrote these poems in a moldy mausoleum on the coast of Maine." What a description! These poems are full of nonsense, but it is so fun! They are all one page long or shorter. My favorite poem in the collection is "Cat Battle". It talks about two cats fighting and that you better not "get in the middle, or you'll end up covered in cat spittle."

     The illustrations are quite dream-like, but have a noticeable geometric quality about them. The colors are mostly very vibrant and are contrasting, however some are quite dark. The colors are a lot of yellows, oranges, and greens, very Halloween-like. The illustrations were done in acrylic.

     I think that this poetry collection is appropriate for all ages! I would read these poems to my class around Halloween. As I said earlier, the pictures are very geometric. You could pull out certain poems and try to see how many the students could find in each picture. There is a poem entitled "Mummy Unhappy" and it is about a mummy that wasn't mummified correctly. You could use this for a hook into a history lesson about ancient Egypt. You could also use this collection just for the study of poetry.