Dusty Locks and the Three Bears

Title: Dusty Locks and the Three Bears
Author: Susan Lowell
Genre: Traditional/Folk Literature

This spin on the traditional Goldilocks and the Three Bears tale takes a turn as a comical western version. Dusty Locks runs away from home to come across the home of the three bears. She tries out their accomodations and food, which include bowls full of chili beans and beds of big strong pine branches. Dusty Locks is a real spitfire with a lack of personal hygiene, who lets her opinion on the bears belongings be known. When the bears return and see Dusty Locks in the mama bears bed, Dusty Locks wakes up and hightails it out of their cabin so fast that she creates a tornado of dust.
I think that this unique twist on the original tale would be interesting for children to read after reading the original. After reading this book, the students can compare and contrast it to the original through the use of a Venn diagram or other planning tool.

Animal Families

Title: Animal Families
Author: Gene S. Stuart
Genre: Non-Fiction

This book details the structures of many different kinds of animal families from regions across the world, from Canadian geese to wildebeests. Simple narratives are used to describe the basic structures of twenty two different kinds of animals. Primarily this book focuses on family structure, such as which parent takes primary care of the young, or if the animal pack is led by a matriarch or a patriarch. The back of the book gives more specific detail to the kind of life each kind of animal leads, and has a index where you can refer to pages of animal families by specific criteria, such as which animal families are lead by patriarchs. I like this book because it is informational, but does not confuse children with too much extraneous knowledge about each kind of animal. Also, the images are unique in that they are actual pictures of animals in the wild, provided by National Geographic.

Strega Nona

Title: Strega Nona
Author: Tomie de Paola
Genre: Traditional/Folk Literature

Strega Nona is the tale of a magical woman in a town called Calabria. Strega Nona had many talents, and the townspeople often went to her for favors. When a man called Big Anthony comes to take care of Strega Nona's house, he see's and hears her charm her enchanted pasta pot to magically make pasta. However, he does not see how Strega Nona "turns off" the pasta making charm to get the pot to stop making pasta by blowing three kisses. Anthony decides to impress the townspeople by making pasta with Strega Nona's magic pasta pot. When Strega Nona was gone, Anthony charmed the pasta pot and had people come from all around to be amazed by his "talent". When he was done, he thought he knew how to charm it to turn it off, but did not realize that he needed to blow three kisses to turn the pasta pot off, and the pasta starts cooking and spilling out out of control. The pasta soon enveloped the town and the townspeople panicked as to how to stop the uncontrollable pasta. Soon, Strega Nona returned to see what had happened to the town, and immediately figured out what had happened. She blew three kisses to the pot to make it stop, and it did. The townspeople were furious with Anthony, and wanted to string him up, but Strega Nona had a better idea. She told Big Anthony that since he wanted pasta so badly, he could eat up the pasta that filled the town to clean it up, and that's just what he did.
This book was a recipient of the Caldecott Award, and is an enjoyable tale that teaches readers a moral of "don't bite off more than you can chew".

I Wonder...How Do Submarines Dive? Questions and Answers about Technology

Title: I Wonder...How Do Submarines Dive? Questions and Answers about Technology
Author: Andrew Langley
Genre: Non-Fiction

This is a unique non-fiction book that poses and answers twenty four technology and science based questions. Some questions addressed and answered are "Why do houses creak at night?" and "Where does a TV picture come from?" The explanations to these questions are thorough, but yet simple and easy for children to understand. There is also a glossary of terms in the back of the book to clarify any unfamiliar vocabulary that reader's may encounter. This is a great book for children to peruse to find answers to questions concerning important and everyday science that they may not have even considered.

Moonwalk: The First Trip to the Moon

Title: Moonwalk; The First Trip to the Moon
Author: Judy Donnelly
Genre: Non-fiction

This non-fiction book details the information and events surrounding the first moon landing, from the names of the astronauts to the way that their rocket worked. The history of NASA and space travel is also explained in this book in terms that are easy for children to understand and question.

I believe that a non-fiction book such as this is a great format for children to approach important and factual information. The book is broken down into a short chapter format that makes accessing specific information from the book easier. As the study of the solar system is a third grade standard course of study course objective, this book would connect with planetary and space studies dealt with during that unit.

Who Do You Think You Are, Charlie Brown?

Title: Who Do You Think You Are, Charlie Brown?
Author: Charles M. Schulz
Genre: Realistic Fiction (Graphic Novel)

Who Do You Think You Are, Charlie Brown? details the life and times of Charlie Brown and his friends with illustrations and text. This graphic novel details the comical yet thoughtful interactions between Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Schroeder, Sally, Peppermint Patty, Snoopy, and Woodstock. Though Lucy tends to give Charlie Brown a hard time, his friend Linus always manages to stick up for him while his dog snoopy comforts him in times of need.

I think that a graphic novel is an interesting format for students to be exposed to as it differs from the traditional style of children's picture books. Who Do You Think You Are, Charlie Brown? Looks more like a comic strip, though it reads like a novel. Introducing children to graphic novels would provide a unique opportunity to have students convey or retell stories in a different format by constructing a "comic strip" type of story line. There is a website called makebeliefscomix.com where students can do just that. Below is a link to my very own short comic to tell my own story!

http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/Comix/?comix_id=48357049C234726

Rumpelstitskin

Title: Rumpelstiltskin
Author: Paul O. Zelinsky
Genre: Traditional Literature

This version of Rumpelstiltskin details the story of a young woman who is told to spin a whole room of straw into gold. If she completes the task, she will be permitted to marry the king, but if she does not, she is sentenced to death. Frantic about how to complete this task, the young woman encounters a small man who says he will complete the task if she gives him her firstborn child. The young woman agrees, and when the straw is spun to gold, she marries the king. When they have their first child, the small man returns to collect his part of the bargain. The woman convinces the man to reconsider, and the man says that if the woman can guess his name by his third visit, he will let her keep her first born. The king and queen make many guesses as to what the mans name could be, but struggle to find his real name. They hatch a plan, and the queen eventually figures out the small mans name upon hearing him squeal with delight in the woods over the fact that they cannot guess his name. When the queen reveals to him that she figured out his name- Rumpelstiltskin- he is dumbfounded, and begrudgingly lets them keep their child.

This classic tale of trickery and cleverness is a story that is excellent for making predictions. The unpredictable nature of the story leaves readers who are unfamiliar with the story guessing as to what will happen next. As a recipient of the Caldecott Medal, this version of Rumpelstiltskin is an enchanting tale that not only will expose children to a famous traditional tale, but will entertain and delight them as well.

Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears

Title: Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears
Author: Verna Aardema
Genre: Folk Literature

This story explains why it is that mosquitoes buzz in peoples ears. The story begins with a mosquito telling an iguana about a farmer that was harvesting very big yams. The iguana thought this was a lie, so he shoved sticks in his ears so as to not hear the mosquito, and went along his way. When the python said hello to the iguana, the iguana did not respond. This lead the python to believe that the iguana was plotting some kind of mischief for him, so he hid in the rabbit's hole scaring the rabbit. Each misunderstanding lead to another misunderstanding, which led to a monkey accidentally killing one of the owl's owlets while she was away. When she returned, she was so sad to find one of her owlets dead that she wouldn't call to wake the sun. This caused the animals to all meet to figure out who was ultimately responsible for the owlet's death. Each animal was called back to explain what happened, until they all figured out that it was the mosquito who started the chain of misunderstandings that led to the owlet's death. The mosquito overheard them realize that it was his fault, so to this day he buzzes in people's ears asking "Is everyone still angry with me?" and he is honestly answered with a swat.

This story is an excellent example of cause and effect. A good follow up lesson to be used in the classroom would be to have the students write their own pourquoi tale to explain why a certain aspect of nature or society came to be.

Chocolate Fever

Title: Chocolate Fever
Author: Robert Kimmel Smith
Genre: Modern Fantasy (chapter book)

Chocolate Fever is about a bay named Henry Green who loves chocolate so much that he eats it for every meal. His parents, brother, and sister all spoiled Henry and indulged his chocolate addiction. But one day in class, Henry notices little brown spots chocolate smelling spots all over his body. Thinking that he has contracted some rare disease, Henry goes to the school nurse to be examined. The nurse is puzzled by his condition, and takes him to the hospital to be checked out further. After being examined by many doctors, it is announced that Henry has "chocolate fever". Scared by this diagnosis, Henry runs away from the hospital into the city. He eventually is picked up by a truck driver named Mac, and just before Mac convinces Henry to go back home, Mac's truck is hijacked. The hijackers take Mac and Henry to their hideout and when things start looking bad for Mac and Henry's safety, a pack of dogs bursts in from their attraction to Henry's delicious chocolate scent. The hijackers are arrested and Henry and Mac go to a local confectioner who gives Henry "vanilla pills" to cure Henry's chocolate fever. Henry returns home and is greeted by his parents, with a new found skepticism of chocolate. However, the close of the book suggests that Henry may pick up a new kind of rare illness; cinnamon fever.

Chocolate Fever would be a great book to use for making inferences. The chapters in the book are always left on "cliffhangers" where the readers are unsure of what could possibly happen next. In addition to making inferences, Chocolate Fever is also a great book to use to discuss character development. The mindsets of many of the characters change after the course of the book's events, which leaves ample opportunities to discuss why and how the characters behaviors changed.

Miss Rumphius

Title: Miss Rumphius
Author: Barbara Cooney
Genre: Realistic Fiction

Miss Rumphius is the tale of a young girl named Alice who promises her grandfather that before she dies she will do three things for him: go to faraway places, live beside the sea, and most importantly to make the world more beautiful. As Alice grows older, she moves away from her home town and becomes a librarian. The children at the library now call her Miss Rumphius. She often visits the plant conservatory and breathes in the sweet smell of tropical plants. After visiting the conservatory one day, she decides that it is time to fulfill her first wish to her grandfather, to visit faraway places. She at visits snowy mountains and tropical islands, and her final destination leads her to Egypt. In Egypt, she falls off a camel and hurts her back. She realizes that she has become old and that it is time to move on to her second wish, to live by the sea. Miss Rumphius realizes that she is getting old and due to her back injury it is difficult for her to get around like she used to. One day while lying in her bed, she looks out the window to see the beautiful blooming lupine flowers she had planted the previous spring. When she feels well enough, she goes on a small walk, and realizes that the wind and birds had scattered some of the lupine seeds she had planted. Lupines now grew all along the cliffside. Miss Rumphius now realized how to fulfill her third promise to her grandfather. She gathered lupine seeds and began to walk all around town, scattering the seeds everywhere she went. Her back no longer hurt her as she now had a purpose. When the spring came, there were lupines everywhere as far as the eye could see. Miss Rumphius was very old now, and had a granddaughter of her own. Her granddaughter promised that she would one day fulfill the same three wishes that Miss Rumphius had completed for her grandfather. The book ends on a beautiful image of the hillside covered with lupines, as Miss Rumphius's granddaughter wonders how she will make the world a more beautiful place.

This book is full of beautiful soft images of seaside cottages, beautiful flowers, and faraway places.
In addition to the general aesthetic of the book, Miss Rumphius has an underlying message that envokes children to think what they can contribute to make the world a better place. After reading this story, I think a fitting lesson for students would be to have them write and reflect on how they would choose to make the world a more beautiful place.

Don't Bump the Glump! and Other Fantasies

Title: Don't Bump the Glump! and Other Fantasies
Author: Shel Silverstein
Genre: Science Fiction (poetry)

Don't Bump the Glump! is a collection of poems about imaginary creatures and their characteristics. Each poem describes the imaginary characters depicted on the page in a comical and silly way for children to enjoy. There are forty four mythical creatures described in the book, oftentimes with nonsense words and other clever literary tricks.
One of my favorite poems from the book is as follows:

The Flustering Phant
"Some animals pop from cocoons,
While others spring up from the clay.
I've heard that some drop from balloons
Or arrive in some other ridiculous way.
But the Tiny-Toed Flustering Phant
(And please don't repeat that I said it)--
He grows from the stem of the Bibulous plant,
And the snob never lets you forget it. "

-Shel Silverstein

This book is not only enjoyable for children due to its comical nature, but it is also a good book to use to introduce children to poems and prose. After perusing Don't Bump the Glump! I think that a fun activity would be for children to invent and illustrate their own imaginary characters, with a corresponding poem to describe their unique characteristics.

Meet Addy: An American Girl

Title: Meet Addy; An American Girl
Author: Connie Porter
Genre: Historical Fiction

Meet Addy is a harrowing tale of a young girl's escape to freedom from slavery. The story is set in 1864 where Addy and her family serve as slaves on a southern cotton plantation. After enduring many demeaning and unbearable hardships on the plantation, things worsen when Addy's father and brother are sold to another slave owner. Addy and her mother make the difficult decision to escape under the cloak of night to Philadelphia where they will be free. Addy's mother discussed this plan with her father and brother the night before they were sold, and if all went according to plan, they would meet there together and start a new, happier life. However, they must make the heart breaking decision to leave her baby sister behind with her Aunt and Uncle. After many frightening events and close calls, Addy and her mother make it to a house that was considered northern territory. Though the story is not drawn to a close at the end of the book, it is continued in the next book as it is a series. After the story, there are a few pages with actual photographs and information that supports the historical content of the story. All of the information and pictures are age appropriate, but still convey the sense of injustice and reality of the time period.

I think this book is a fantastic story to teach children about the hardships and unfairness of slavery, as well as an important lesson in diversity. At one point in the story after Addy is forced to humiliate herself by her slave owner, she tells her mother that she hates white people. Her mother however tells her that it is wrong to hate all white people. She tells her that if she fills her heart with hate, there will be no room for love. This was a very poignant quote from the story that resonated with me even after reading it. The struggles Addy and her family endured were enough to harden their hearts and minds, but yet they maintained a positive perspective and never ending courage in order to achieve their ultimate goal of freedom. This positive outlook and tale of courage is a message that will resonate with children in the same manner. Exposing children to a text that is not only historically founded but also morally sound will benefit not only their historical knowledge, but also their views on social justice.

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

Title: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
Author: Judi Barrett
Genre: Modern Fantasy

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs is the fantastical story told by a grandfather to his two grandchildren. The story told of a small town called Chewandswallow whose weather is actually downpours of food. Though it is a welcome occurrence to begin with, the situation soon spirals out of control as large flapjacks envelope schools and unsavory foods begin to take over the skies. Fearing for the worst, the townspeople soon decide to abandon the town. They lash together boats with large pieces of stale toast and peanut butter, and sail the soupy seas to a coastal town. They build temporary houses out of the bread they used for boats, and are shocked to find that in this new place, people buy their groceries at a store rather than receiving them from the skies. The grandfather ends his tale as the children settle down for bed. As the children wake up the next morning to a beautiful snow, they cant help but think that the snow on the hill that they sledded on smelled like mashed potatoes, and the sun rising atop the hill looked strangely like a large pat of butter.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs shows how the inhabitants of Chewandswallow had to think on their feet to problem solve how to get out of town before they were engulfed by the oncoming downpours of disgusting food. After reading Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, students could discuss and reflect in writing about a situation in which they had to use ingenuity to problem solve out of a particularly tricky situation.

The Desert is my Mother/ El Desierto es mi Madre

Title: The Desert is my Mother/ El Desierto es mi Madre
Author: Pat Mora
Genre: Multicultural Literature

This book tells the story of a young girl's love for the desert. She compares the desert to her mother with the many comforts that the desert provides her, such as the food that the cactus gives her, the comfort of the warm sands, and the songs of the wind. A unique feature of this book, is that it provides text in both English and Spanish in comparison. This book received the Skipping Stones Honor Award for being an authentic multicultural literature selection and an excellent teaching resource. After reading this book, I myself felt that I was able to learn about Spanish through comparing the English and Spanish text. I was aware of the context and English translation of the story, which made comparing the Spanish text a more decipherable task. I believe that this text not only is a beautiful story about a young Spanish girl's love for the desert, but is also a valuable resource for ELL learners and children who are learning about the Spanish language in general.

The Secret Garden

Title: The Secret Garden
Author: Frances Hodgson Burnett, Retold by Louise Betts
Genre: Realistic Fiction

This version of The Secret Garden is a shorter and more accessible version of the story for younger children. However, the basic plot of the story did not change from the classic. The story begins by introducing Mary Lennox, a disagreeable child who lives in India with her parents who had never planned on having a child. After a vicious virus sweeps through the town, Mary is the only one left alive and is sent to England to live with her only living relative, her Uncle Craven. Mary quickly realizes how different England is from India, from the weather to the interactions between people. When Mary arrives at Uncle Craven's luxurious home, Misselthwaite manor, she is greeted by his housekeeper Mrs. Medlock. She is a cold woman who only interacts with Mary out of necessity. Misselthwaite manor is a large and desolate place, and when Mary hears what sounds like moans and cries she becomes curious with the old place. After meeting a housemaid named Martha who tells Mary that there is an alleged "secret garden" on the grounds, Mary goes to investigate. To her surprise, she is led to the secret garden by a friendly robin. In her secretive visits to the garden she meets a gardener of the surrounding grounds and Martha's younger brother Dicken. One day upon wandering the manor, Mary finds the source of the moans and cries she has been hearing- her cousin Colin, who was so ill her could not walk. Her Uncle Craven rarely visited him because he was saddened by his sons condition. Mary befriends Colin and secretly takes him to the secret garden. There she, Dicken, and the gardener expose him to the fresh air and nurse him back to health. Colin finally began to walk, and surprised Mrs. Medlock, and his father. The secret garden was opened so that all could visit it, and Mary began to be a friendlier and happy child now that she had her garden and a happy family to live with.

When Mary moves from India to England, she experiences quite a bit of culture shock. A follow up activity for children after reading this version of the secret garden would be to research two different countries customs and cultures, and to compare and contrast their similarities and differences.

Dance, Tanya

Title: Dance, Tanya
Author: Patricia Lee Gauch
Genre: Realistic Fiction

Dance, Tanya is a story about a young girl who puts on a tutu and dances around with her older sister who is a ballerina. Though Tanya is still too young to take ballet lessons, she endlessly whirls around her home in her tutu and slippers with her sister Elise. However, whenever Tanya's sister leaves to go to her ballet lessons, Tanya is not allowed to come. Occasionally Tanya is allowed to watch her practice from the window, but never join in. When it is time for Elise's dance recital, Tanya and her family watch from the audience with awe. Tanya is so proud of her sisters dancing abilities, but is so tired that she falls asleep towards the end of the recital. When they are leaving, Tanya's Aunt May tells Tanya's mother what a wonderful dancer Elise is. When they return home, Tanya wakes up to hear the score to Swan Lake being played over the radio while her family laugh and talk amongst themselves. Tanya puts on her tutu and grabs her scarf and dances even though she knows no one is watching. However, unbeknownst to Tanya, her whole family is watching. When she is through they applaud, and Aunt May corrects herself by saying that there are in fact two wonderful dancers in their family. The book then shows a scene from Christmas the next year where Tanya has finally received her own pair of ballet slippers now that she is old enough to take lessons. The book then closes with Tanya and Elise heading off to ballet practice, together.

Arrow to the Sun

Title: Arrow to the Sun
Author: Gerald McDermott
Genre: Multicultural Literature

Arrow to the Sun is a story about a boy who is sent to earth by the Lord of the Sun. The Lord of the Sun shoots an arrow down to earth into the home of a young maiden, who became his mother. As the boy grew up, he was ridiculed since he did not have a father. The boy vowed to find his father, and went to many people in the village asking for their help to find him. After being turned down by many villagers, the boy comes to the Arrow Maker. The Arrow Maker makes the boy into an arrow, and shoots him back up to the Sun where his father is. When the boy reaches the Sun and his father, the father tells the boy he must prove himself by going through a series of trials. The son completes all of the trials, and is transformed into a being filled with the power of the Sun. The father and the son rejoice, and the son is sent back to earth to spread the spirit of the Sun to the people. Upon his return, the people of the pueblo celebrated with the Dance of Life.
Arrow to the Sun provides an excellent opportunity for children to learn about Pueblo culture. The illustrations in this book are an excellent depiction of Native American art. After reading this book, a way to enhance student's knowledge of Native American art would be to have them research other patterns and styles that are common in Native American art, and allow them to create their own depiction of a story with the cultural art skills they have learned about.

Matilda

Title: Matilda
Author: Roald Dahl
Genre: Modern Fantasy (chapter book)

Matilda is the heroic story of a gifted young girl who overcomes a lazy and morally crooked family as well as a sinister bully of a school principal. The story begins with an introduction of how Matilda Wormwood's parents and brother never appreciated her. Matilda taught herself to read at a very young age, and soon began to intellectually consume every book she could get her hands on, despite her parent's protests. When it was time for Matilda to start school, she was overwhelmed with excitement. However, her excitement soon faded when she realized that the principal to her school, Ms. Agatha Trunchbull, was a vindictive and cruel person who hated children more than anything. Though Ms. Trunchbull made school horrible, it was Matilda's warm and kind teacher Ms. Honey as well as a few close friends that made Matilda's school experience enriching and enjoyable. While Matilda endures a slew of tormenting experiences from her family and "The Trunchbull", she discovers that she has a unique ability to move things with her mind. Matilda realizes that she can use this ability to justify the injustices that have been brought upon her, she embarks on a series of tricks to those who have wronged her and her friends. When Ms. Honey reveals to Matilda that Ms. Trunchbull is her horrible aunt who may have killed her own brother, Matilda vows to find a way to right this wrong. After a series of investigations and planning, Matilda eventually drives Ms. Trunchbull out of the school, and Ms. Honey is made principal. When Matilda's family encounters legal troubles, they plan to flee the country. Ms. Honey offers to adopt Matilda, and they live happily ever after. So happily in fact, that Matilda lost her powers as she no longer had any more anger to create them.

This was, and still is, one of my absolute favorite books for children. I believe that Matilda is a heroic tale of a sweet and clever girl triumphing over evil and ultimately saving the day. Matilda is another example of a book in which character traits abound- a fitting lesson for student's would be to elaborate on the character traits of all the main characters involved in the plot.

Sarah Morton's Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Girl

Title: Sarah Morton's Day; A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Girl
Author: Kate Waters
Genre: Historical Fiction

Sarah Morton's Day is a story that detail's the life of an imaginary girl in 1627 on Plimoth Plantation. This book details all the aspects of life from a young pilgrim girl's perspective- from the intricate clothing she must wear to the arduous chores she is required to complete. The book also tells the story of Sarah's new life and changing dynamics of family and friendship now that she is in the New World. Amidst the progression of the story, there are unique contributions to the text such as 17th century recipes and Psalms. The last two pages of the book contain a glossary of commonly used terms from that time period, as well as a section that details the actual Plimoth Plantation that existed long ago. Reading this book is an excellent precursor to Thanksgiving, as well as a generally educational book about an important time in American history.

The Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System

Title: The Magic School Bus; Lost in the Solar System
Author: Joanna Cole
Genre: Modern Fantasy

When Mrs. Frizzle's class arrives at the Planetarium for a field trip, they discover that it is closed for repairs- but of course in Mrs. Frizzle's classroom, this will not be tolerated. Instead, the class is zoomed off into space itself after the Magic School Bus transforms into its very own rocket. Mrs. Frizzle and the gang travel from planet to planet, from the planet closest to the sun to the farthest. However, on their journey from Mars to Jupiter, an asteroid shower causes the class to unexpectedly separate from Mrs. Frizzle. The class continues on in their tour of the planets in hopes of eventually finding Mrs. Frizzle along their way. After viewing the last planet, the kids eventually figure out how to direct the Magic School Bus back to where they had originally lost track of Mrs. Frizzle, and they are reunited. They all then gladly return back to school, with the wealth of knowledge that they gained from their adventurous trip to space.

This book is an excellent choice for students who are studying the solar system, particularly those in the third grade as it is a standard course of study objective. The book is filled with interesting side notes and tables that are scattered throughout the pictures. There is also comical dialogue bubbles coming from the characters mouths in the illustrations, which makes the book that much more enjoyable for readers. The Magic School Bus was also a syndicated TV show on PBS for some time, and was a favorite show that I enjoyed watching on Saturday mornings. It was very enjoyable for me to see one of my favorite TV shows as a child translated into an engaging text.

Tar Beach

Title: Tar Beach
Author: Faith Ringgold
Genre: Multicultural Literature

Tar Beach is a beautifully written and illustrated book about an African American family in Harlem, New York. The main character, Cassie, gathers with family and friends atop the roof of their Harlem apartment for a summertime get together. While the adults sit and talk together, Cassie lies on a mattress on her back and gazes at the night sky. The book details the imaginative scenes that Cassie sees as she imagines that she is flying high over the city. She recalls stories about her family during her journey, such as how her grandfather helped to build the Washington Bridge long ago. Tar Beach is full of descriptive and beautiful language as well as illustrations that paint an imaginative picture verbally and visually.

As Tar Beach is such a spellbinding book with its use of words and imagery, I believe that a fitting lesson to follow this book would be to have students construct a Wordle using adjectives that describe a specifically poignant time for them, much like Tar Beach illustrates a specifically poignant moment for Cassie Lightfoot. They can then write a reflection about the time they chose to Wordle about, and describe why those adjectives fit that story. Below I have created a Wordle with such adjectives to describe the first time I "flew" about two years ago.... flew in an airplane, that is.

http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/1851379/Flight

Maniac Magee

Title: Maniac Magee
Author: Jerry Spinelli
Genre: Realistic Fiction (chapter book)

Jeffrey Lionel Magee (better known as "Maniac Magee") was orphaned at the age of three after his parents were in a trolley accident. Jeffrey earned the nickname "Maniac" because of his wild ways, outlandish thinking, and daredevil attitude. Jeffrey is sent to live with his Aunt Dot and Uncle Dan, who refuse to speak to each other. This unsatisfactory home life leads Jeffrey to rebel and run away from his life as he knows it. Maniac decides to try to live with other families in lieu of his own. Maniac first lives with the Beales family, a warm and hospitable African American family. Maniac loves living with the Beales but quickly realizes that his presence as a white youngster in their house is causing them trouble in the neighborhood. So Maniac decides to move on to live with an old man named Grayson. Grayson and Maniac get along famously and share a passion for baseball. Maniac teaches Grayson about his views on racial equality, and their bond strengthens. Sadly though Grayson's old age eventually overtakes him and he passes away, forcing Maniac to move on once again. The next family that takes Maniac in is the McNab family. They are very strict, yet dysfunctional as a family unit. The McNabs have many racial tendencies, and eventually kick Maniac out after he tries to introduce one of his homeless African American friends, nicknamed Mars Bar, into their family. Mars Bar and Maniac continue their friendship, and eventually move together back into the Beales home with the communities blessing.

Maniac Magee was one of my favorite books as I approached the end of my elementary school age. It is also the recipient of numerous awards including the Newbery Medal. This book is an engaging and heartfelt book that illustrates racial issues in a way like no other. This book does not tiptoe on the line of political correctness, but rather earnestly and honestly delves into divisive issues such as racial tension. The message that is drawn after reading Maniac Magee is one that conveys the sense of humanity in every person despite race, creed, or socioeconomic status. Though Maniac Magee addresses important social issues as its main claim to fame, it also contains a vast variety of intricate vocabulary words. A technology based lesson that one could use in the classroom could consist of the creation of an online vocabulary quiz or test as a pre- or post assessment of a student's knowledge of vocabulary words included in the text. I used a free test creation website and included ten words from the book as an interactive way to acquire a sense of student's knowledge of vocabulary.

http://mytest.vocabtest.com/user_test.php?tid=46570

Number the Stars

Title: Number the Stars
Author: Lois Lowry
Genre: Historical Fiction (chapter book)

Number the Stars is a historical fiction chapter book that takes place in 1943 in Nazi occupied Denmark. The book centers around the struggles of a young girl named Annemarie Johansen that she, her family, and close family friends encounter in Copenhagen. These struggles cause them to consequently flee their home town so as not to be persecuted by Nazi soldiers. Prior to escaping to safety, the Johansen family takes in Ellen Rosen, a close family friend, and pretends that she is Annemarie's older sister in order to ensure her safety. While Ellen stays with the Johansen family, the remainder of the Rosen family goes into hiding elsewhere. When the Johansen family encounters a close call with a Nazi soldier who nearly reveals Ellen's true identity as a young Jewish girl, the family plans to travel to Mr. Johansen's brothers house on the coast in order to avoid danger. Shortly after they arrive at Uncle Henriks, Annemarie discovers that Uncle Henrik is involved in hiding and transporting Jewish families to safety. Annemarie's family become involved with these efforts, and Annemarie unexpectedly is required to carry out a very important task for the Jewish Resistance. Annemarie must carry a package to deliver as part of this task. Annemarie is confronted by Nazi soldiers who confiscate the package she is carrying during the execution of this task, only to be disappointed by the seemingly innocuous contents of the package. Annemarie later learns that a handkerchief that was among the contents of the package had a special chemical that would numb the Nazi dogs sense of smell. As it turns out, the remainder of the Rosen family had been hiding nearby, so the handkerchief that numbed the dogs sense of smell allowed their safe return to reunite with Ellen at Uncle Henriks.
After the close of the war, both the Johansen and the Rosen families return to Denmark.

Number the Stars is a suspenseful narrative of a young girl's experience during Nazi occupation. Though this book has mature themes, it provides an insightful perspective of an important time in world history. This book is an ideal choice for students who are studying the holocaust, or any unit that concerns social justice. Number the Stars also addresses several strong examples of character traits such as perseverance, courage, and responsibility.