Storyteller

Chapter Book: Historical Fiction

Giff, P. (2010). Storyteller. New York, NY: Random House Children's Books.

The book, Storyteller,  is a great book about young girls finding their strength during touch times.  The book is split between two different characters, Zee and Elizabeth.  Zee is a young girl who lives on a farm during the Revolutionary War.  Elizabeth, descendant of Zee, is forced to live with her aunt for a few months while her grandfather is out of town.  While at her aunt's house, she discovers a lot about herself and her history, including Zee.  Both girls show a sense of perseverance and curiosity throughout the book, making them both strong, female characters.

With this story being historical fiction, there are a lot of different avenues you could take this to teach to an elementary classroom.  Since the story is taking place during the Revolutionary War and several Generals and Forts are named in the story, students could do additional research of the war and places that were mentioned in the story.  Additionally, the story talks a lot about family history and discovering not only who your ancestors are but what they did.  Educators could lead family-tree oriented research projects where students are researching themselves!  This book is on 4th grade reading level so it may be best to have this in a literature circle group or as a class, depending on the grade and reading level of your students.  

The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau

Multicultural and International Literature: Biography

Markel, M. (2012). The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers.

The book, The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau, tells the very inspiring tale of the famous French artist, Henri Rousseau.  Rousseau begins the majority of his life as a toll collector, until he is almost 40 years old.  Then he decides that he would like to be an artist.  Since Rousseau has very little money and cannot afford art lessons, he teaches himself, studying the fine works of art on display at the Louvre museum.  For many years, Henri Rousseau puts his paintings into gallery shows and critics laugh at them.  Eventually, Henri begins to paint works of art that very few people laugh at, in fact, many famous artists begin to appreciate his work.  This book is an "underdog" kind of biography on a subject that isn't as hi-lighted in the classroom.

Similar to the story Noah Webster and His Words, I think the story of Henri Rousseau could be a great supplemental text to a larger topic.  For instance, if your class wanted to study famous artist or perhaps Pablo Picasso, I would say The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau would be a great addition to the study.  Children's books are a great way to help break down heavy topics for students in the upper elementary grades.  I personally enjoy stories that are written about a person who had very close ties to very famous people in history.  John Lewis In the Lead, is another story that I feel does the same thing. I plan on having a lot of supplemental texts, that help support and perhaps give a new perspective on a given topic that we are studying.

Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type

Fantasy

Cronin, D. (2000). Click Clack Moo Cows That Type. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Click Clack Moo Cows That Type by TaceyM on GoAnimate
Click Clack Moo Cows That Type is a hilarious children's book describing the tale of cows, who have gotten a hold of a typewriter, and their communication with the farmer.  Soon, the chickens get involved in the "conspiracy" too.  Eventually, the farmer gives in to their requests in exchange for the typewriter.  

While this book, Click Clack Moo Cows That Type, is clearly written for younger elementary students, to raise the difficulty and interest level of this book, I would definitely use it for a Reader's Theatre performance.  Students could be assigned "roles" to read aloud and/or possibly act out.  This book offers several roles for the students to play: cows, narrator, chickens, farmer, ducks, the audience, etc.

Narrator: "It was bad enough the cows had found the old typewriter in the barn, now they wanted electric blankets!"

Farmer: "No way, no electric blankets"

Narrator: "So the cows went on strike. They left a note on the barn door."

Cows: "Sorry. We're closed. No milk today."

I personally love Reader's Theaters, especially with entertaining stories such as this one.  The provide opportunities to practice fluency and confidence by reading aloud.  Additionally, I've found that most students really enjoy to have the chance to act out their favorite stories.

The Polar Express

Fantasy: Caldecott Medalist

Allsburg, C. (1985). The Polar Express. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing.

The Polar Express is a magical story of the power of believing in something such as Santa Claus.  The story follows a small boy who boards a magical train to the North Pole on Christmas Eve. When he gets to the North Pole he realizes that he is apart of the "First Gift of Christmas" Celebration.  The little boy was actually chosen to be the lucky one who received the first gift! While he knew he could ask for  anything in the world, he chose to ask for something really special.

While The Polar Express may seem like a book for younger elementary students, there are several lessons you could do that would be appreciated by older elementary students as well.  In the writing of this book, the author uses a lot of comparisons to help illustrate his story.  As upper elementary students are learning about similes and metaphors, this book could be used as an example.  An example would be to make a chart comparing the similes and metaphors to the plain language.

"We drank hot cocoa as thick and rich as melted chocolate bars" :

 The hot chocolate was sweet and good

"Faster and faster we ran along, rolling over peaks and through valleys like a car on a roller coaster" :

 The train went fast over hills

After comparing the two different types of "languages", students can practice writing their own similes and metaphors about their own lives.

Zathura: A Space Adventure

Science Fiction

Allsburg, C. (2002). Zathura A Space Adventure. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Zathura: A Space Adventure  is Chris Allusburg's "sequel" to his hit book Jumanji.  The book begins by two brothers fighting in their back yard.  One of the boys spotted a game leaned against a tree that read Jumanji: A Jungle Adventure.  He grabbed the game and ran inside to play with his brother.  As the boys were looking at the jungle-themed game, they saw there was another board hidden inside, one that read Zathura: A Space Adventure.  As the boys begin to play the new space game, strange things happen to them and their house.  Soon the boys realize that this is no ordinary board game!

I, personally, was a huge fan of the hit book and movie Jumanji.  Chris Allsburg does a great job of depicting a magical game that takes the players into the real life story line.  There are several different ways an educator could use this book in a 3-5 classroom.  On of the most interesting ways would be to use this book as a launching pad for studying space themes.  The book incorporates several different space terminology such as meteors, gravity, and black holes.  Students could easily form questions about space and the different parts that make up our galaxy.  Additionally, as apart of a writing unit, students could, with their newly learned research, write stories about their make-believe story to space.  I really enjoyed reading Jumanji when I was an elementary student so I know elementary students today are really going to love the sequel to the book, Zathura: A Space Adventure.

The Emperor's New Clothes

Folk Literature: Graphic Novel 

Peters, S. (2010). The Emperor's New Clothes. Mankato, Minnesota: Stone Arch Books.

This Emperor's New Clothes story is a re-telling of the classic tale, originally written by Hans Christian Anderson. 

In a far away kingdom there lived a king who was obsessed with his clothes.  He loved to buy the fanciest hats, shoes, and suits!  One day he met two traveling merchants who offer to sew the king a special suit that had magical powers.  However, the merchants are who they say they are and the king's new suit has one major flaw - that no one can see!

The story of the Emperor's New Clothes  is a classic tale, teaching kids of the bad things that can happen when you are too greedy.  I love the idea, however, of taking a book that most children know and recognize, and turning it into a graphic novel with dialogue bubbles.  Using dialogue is a huge concept in the upper elementary grades.  I think by introducing the concept through something relatable, such as a comic book, students are more likely to see how the dialogue can really enhance a story.  I think a fun writing activity to do with student after reading this book would be to discuss what the swindlers were going to do next with all their new found wealth.  Students could each write a short story or graphic novel, depicting the swindlers and their new wealth.

*At the end of this book, the re-telling author has included possible discussion questions as well as writing prompts.
Discussion Questions:
1) Why do you think it took so long for someone to point out that the emperor wasn't wearing any clothes?
2) Emperors are chosen at birth. Presidents are chosen by elections. Which way of choosing a leader do you think is better? Why?
3) If the Swindlers were caught, what do you think would be a fair punishment for them? Jail? A fine? Something else?
Writing Prompts:
1) Imagine that you're an emperor. What kinds of laws would you make? Would you be a strict and stern ruler, or a kind and caring ruler? Write about your kingdom.
2) The Swindlers make money by tricking other people.  Have you ever been tricked? What did you do about it? How did it make you feel?
3) At the end of the book, the Swindlers ran out of money. Do you think it was wise to spend it so quickly? What would you have done with all that wealth?

Out of my Mind

Chapter Book: Realistic Fiction

Draper, S. (2010). Out of my mind. Antheneum Books for Young Readers.

Awards:

• New York Times Bestseller
• Bank Street College of Education Josette Frank Award (2011)
• Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Book of 2010
• San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year
• Parent's Choice Silver Honor Book
• Essence Magazine Book of the Year
• CCBC Choice of 2011
• IRA Techers' Choices
• IRA Young Adults' Choices

The book Out of My Mind is a great book about a young girl named Melody.  Melody is a unique girl as she can't walk nor talk, however she has a photographic memory.  Additionally, she is diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy.  Sharon Draper does an awesome job at taking a look at the "inside story" of bright individuals that are often shaded by their disabilities.  

Melody, in Out of My Mind, is an extremely smart girl, perhaps the smartest in the school, however no one knows because she can't talk.  Melody fights her disease everyday as she struggles to communicate with the ones she loves.  In school, due to her lack of communication, her teachers and peers assume she is dumb, which irritates Melody even more.  When a "Wiz Kid" competition takes place in her school, Melody believes this is her time to shine, to show everyone that she is smart!  While it takes some convincing, eventually, her peers and teachers start to believe that even though Melody isn't like the other kids on the outside, she is still very smart on the inside.  Unfortunately, not everyone, including the kids on Melody's Wiz Kid team, are convinced.

I love this book! I think this is a great book to expose students to, especially with the increase in inclusion classrooms.  I think the best way to fully experience this book would be through a literature circle or whole class discussion.  In the discussion, I would ask both questions that ask about good reading strategies as well as those who help the students evaluate Melody's situation and understand where she is coming from.  Some questions I might include would be:

The novel opens with a description of the power of words and language. How does this help capture the reader's attention?

What is ironic about the events at the restaurant after the competition? How does this scene foreshadow the events that lead up to the airport fiasco?

In a word that does not work for her, what seem to be Melody's biggest frustrations?

How does the inclusion program change Melody's school experience? What are the positives and negatives of the program?

I think a lot of stereotyping, discomfort, and even ignorance comes from people not knowing about someone/something else.  I really enjoy this book because Sharon Draper breaks down the concept of a student with a communication disability to something children can begin to understand and relate to.  When people, including children, begin to learn about people and things that are different from them, the stereotyping, discomfort, and ignorance seems to have a lesser effect and start to disappear.

Noah Webster and His Words

Nonfiction: Biography

Ferris, J. (2012). Noah Webster and His Words. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing.

The book, Noah Webster & His Words, is a great addition to any classroom.  There are several easy connections to language arts, with the definitions of difficult words right on the page, to US history as Noah's colorful life connected him to so many important figures of his time.

Due to the carful selection of words in this book (it is a book about Noah Webster!), a good lesson to do with this book is to look carefully at what the book has said about Noah, verbatim, and what we can inference about Noah.  As a class, we could make a list of description words that are found in the book about Noah.

Confidence, Scholar, Busy, Blue-Backed Speller, Newspaper, Dictionary, Teaching, Talking, etc.

Then, from the list we generated and evidence we have from the book, we could practice inferencing what else we know about Noah that wasn't explicitly told in the story.

Reader, Writer, Father, Politician, Poor, Patriotic, Outspoken, Journalist, Persistent,etc.

Inferencing is an important skill, especially for upper elementary students.  If students can inference things from a story, it helps them make connections to other ideas that have or have hear.  Additionally, it helps them to understand what the author of a particular story is trying to say about that character or event. Overall, inferencing helps students make sense of what they just read.

Hoot

Chapter Book: Realistic Fiction/ Newberry Honor Medalist

Hiaasen, C. (2002). Hoot. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.

Awards:

• A Newberry Honor Book
• SEBA Award for Best Children's Book
• An ABC Children's Booksellers choice
• An ALA Notable Book
• A YALSA Best Book for Young Adults
• A Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year
• A New York Times Bestseller
• A Book Sense Bestseller

The book, Hoot is a hilariously written story about middle school students standing up for what they believe in.  Hoot, written by Carl Hiaasen, was a book I once loved as an elementary student.  The book takes place in Florida where a new middle school student, Roy, has just found himself due to his parents latest move.  As he navigates his way through the awkward stages of middle school, Roy finds himself in with some interesting characters.  The book also follows a young patrol cop, Office Delinko, who interests himself in surveying a nearby construction site that appears to be the victim of several odd vandalism schemes.  Both characters intertwine and resolve the mystery behind the odd vandalism - owls. This book captures the oddities of being a middle school student with the struggles of standing up for your beliefs, perfectly.

Due to the length and high level vocabulary throughout this book, I would probably only use it in a fifth grade or sixth grade class.  I think it will appeal to these students, primarily because it takes place in a middle school, which these students either just started or will be starting the next year.  The book ends with a huge protest of the upcoming Mother Paula's All-American Pancake House due to several burrowing owls that had nested on the construction site.  According to the book, this specific type of owl was an endangered species and therefore protected under the law.  When business officials and construction workers refused to stop building due to the owls, some of the local middle school students took matters into their own hands.  This call to action, is what I hope to be a kickoff for an "friends of endangered species" lesson.  Students could research endangered species, learn about the environment and why their selected animal has become endangered, and formulate a way to educate the public or those at fault as to why this animal is going extinct and why we should save it. I think this type of unit would compliment the book nicely, showing students that they can make a difference in society, even at a young age.

John Lewis in the Lead: A Story of the Civil Rights Movement

Nonfiction: Biography

Haskins, J., & Benson, K. (2006). John Lewis in the Lead: A Story of the Civil Rights Movement. New York, NY: Lee & Low Books Inc.

The book, John Lewis in the Lead: A Story of the Civil Rights Movement, is a biography that briefly covers the life of John Lewis and his involvement in the Civil Rights movement.  The story begins with John Lewis as only a child with responsibilities to the plantation that he and his family worked on for exchange for shelter and some of the crops that were harvested.  As John Lewis grows up, he begins to hear stories of segregation and boycotts from across the country.  After graduating high school, John Lewis set out to stand up against racial injustice and meet Dr. King.  John Lewis began to organize and participate in several sit-ins and marches for peace and racial justice.  Due to many of John Lewis's efforts and other leaders within the Civil Rights Movement, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed two important pieces of legislature into law; the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.  This book, John Lewis in the Lead, is a great re-telling of a influential leader during the Civil Rights Movement, who's perspective and life is different than the famous Dr. King.

The Civil Rights is a topic that is covered in all of K-5.  In the upper elementary grades, students begin to dive deeper into the big events that made the Civil Rights Movement so famous.  I would love to include this book as a supplemental source to my grade's social studies text book for a couple of reasons.  First, John Lewis, while a prominent person in Civil Rights history, is very overshadowed by the famous Dr. King, making him a new person for students to study.  Additionally, because of his in depth work with the Civil Rights marches and sit-ins, I find this book to be a good supplemental text to Martin Luther King related works as well.  Additionally, the easy flow and "story" aspect of this nonfiction books makes it more digestible to students who may struggle to read a text book.

There are several different lessons that could go along with this book.  The first, and probably most obvious as I have already mentioned, would be to use this as a supplemental text to a Civil Rights or Martin Luther King unit.  Another way, since this book focuses on John Lewis who is a current sitting congressman for the state of Georgia, would be to have students research more about John Lewis and what he as done since the Civil Rights Movement.

The One and Only Ivan

Chapter Book: Realistic Fiction/ Newberry Honor Medalist

Applegate, K. (2012). The One and Only Ivan. Harper Collins Publishers.

The story, The One and Only Ivan, is a fictional story based on the true events of a gorilla living alone, in captivity, at a circus-themed mall in Washington state.  The book tells the tale of a easy-going silverback gorilla who spends his time talking to his 'neighbors' in the mall - an old female elephant named Stella and a stray dog named Bob.  Ivan also enjoys watching TV inside his cage, eating bananas, and coloring with various materials, mostly provided by his human friend, Julia.  While he is living his simple, lonely life within the mall, the new arrival of Ruby, a baby elephant, changes things forever.  I really enjoy this book because, even though it is discussing the life of a gorilla, I found it to be very relatable.  Additionally, the book is based off several true events, making the sometimes sticky topics of animal rights and behaviors very real and apparent.  I think reading The One and Only Ivan would be a great book to choose for either a group reading, or a book in a literature circle in a fourth or fifth grade classroom.

In reading this book as apart of a literature circle within a fourth or fifth grade classroom, there are several different paths of discussion you could cover.  The book is very well written so, as a group, you could discuss the several various components it takes when writing or evaluating literature such as the theme of a story, the importance of certain phrasing and wording, etc.  Some sample discussion questions could include:

Compare the personalities of Mack and George.  What makes them alike? What makes them different?

Why does Ivan promise Stella that he will take care of Ruby when he knows how hard it will be to keep that promise?

What does Stella mean when she says, " Old age is a powerful disguise" (p. 31)


 Additionally, when discussing the book as a whole, several important themes become apparent.  To me, the biggest theme I got out of the book was the idea of animal rights and captivity.  To extend idea of animal rights and equality beyond discussion students could begin to research the real history of Ivan and how it influenced the writing of this book.  The character of Ivan is very much a real gorilla who lived in the Atlanta Zoo, however, prior to living there he spent 27 lonely years in a mall in Washington State.  Children could research the "true" story of Ivan the gorilla, learning more about the "behind the pages" action that was Ivan's life.  Additionally, focusing around the theme of animal rights, children could research an animal that is endangered or abused in a certain part of the world and write letters and design propaganda to be sent to authorities in charge.  I think the story of Ivan really touches the hearts of many children, and by giving them a chance to potentially save another animal is really motivating for them.