Name: Kelli Prather 13. Book Title: Oh, the Places You'll Go! Author: Dr. Seuss Genre: Children's Literature - Fantasy
Book Review: This book is about finishing a moment in life and deciding which path you want to take next. This is a great book to mark the end of Kindergarten, Elementary School, Middle School, High School, or College. Its all about using the knowledge you have to choose the best path for you, even if that means making mistakes as you go. Lesson Ideas: Use this story as an introduction to a "what do you want to be when you grow up" assignment. Allow the students to choose several options that they may want to go with and research those occupations. Author Website: http://www.seussville.com (For kids)
14. Book Title: The Gruffalo Author: Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler Genre: Children's Literature - Fantasy
Book Review: This is a story of a little mouse who makes up a scary beast so that he can tell the animals that want to eat him that this beast is his friend. This keeps the mouse safe until the made up beast turns out to be real. He tells the beast that he is the most feared animal in the woods and proves it by taking the beast on a walk to prove it. This book is honestly just super cute. It flows really well and has enough imagination mixed in to keep students entertained. I love reading this book aloud! Lesson Ideas: Use this story as an introduction to rhyme schemes. Have students find the rhyme scheme in the book and then create one of their own. Author Website:http://www.juliadonaldson.co.ukhttps://axelscheffler.com
15. Book Title: The Mitten Author: Jan Brett Genre: Children's Literature - Fantasy
Book Review: In this book a little boys grandmother hesitantly knits her grandson Snow White gloves at his request fearing they will get lost in the snow. On his first outing with the mittens, the grandmother's fear comes true. The lost mitten soon becomes home to a seemingly impossible number of mittens. When a bear sneezes the mitten goes flying allowing the little boy to catch the mitten and return home without trouble. This is a cute and imaginative story that shows grandma knows best. Its a great classroom pick for those cold and dreary days. Lesson Ideas: Have students create their own mittens (art) and story about which animals may want to warm up in it (English). Author Website:www.janbrett.com Twitter:@byjanbrett
Name: Kelli Prather 9. Book Title: Caps For Sale: A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys, and Their Monkey Business Author: Esphyr Slobodkina Genre: Children's Literature - Picture Books Before 1970
Book Review: This book is about a man who sells caps by carrying them all on top of his head. When he can't sell his hats he goes off into the countryside and takes a nap, waking up to find his caps gone. As it turns out, monkeys had stolen his caps. The book details him speaking to the monkeys before finally getting his caps back and returning to town to sell more caps. This book is awesome because it includes elements such as: color, order, and repeating phrases. These are all concepts that can be used in the classroom. This book also offers you the opportunity to teach students words they may not have heard before, like peddler. Lesson Ideas: This book can be used for an interactive math lesson. Have students count the number of total caps on the peddlers head and the number of hats for each color. Then have the students create and solve addition and subtraction problems using the hats. Author Website:www.slobodkinafoundation.org (honoring his work)
10. Book Title: The Story of Ferdinand Author: Munro Leaf Illustrator: Robert Lawson Genre: Children's Literature - Picture Books Before 1970
Book Review: This is the story of Ferdinand the bull who lived in Spain. While all the other bulls liked to run and play, Ferdinand liked to sit under a tree and smell the flowers. One day men came to choose the biggest, meanest bull for the bull fights in Madrid. Well, Ferdinand accidentally sat on a bee and ran around like crazy after he got stung. The men thought Ferdinand was the perfect fit for for the fights, however Ferdinand just sat in the ring smelling the flowers. The men took Ferdinand home where he still sits happily under that tree smelling the flowers. This story introduces students to the notion that its okay to be unique. Lesson Ideas: Students can create a book about themselves and share it with the class. They can also use this book for Social Studies to study Spain's culture.
11. Book Title: The Giving Tree Author: Shel Silverstein Genre: Children's Literature - Picture Books Before 1970
Book Review: This is a book about a tree and a boy who love each other. As the little boy grows up the tree gives him everything she can to make him happy. At times the boy would not visit the tree for a long time, but in the end they where together and happy. This story is great for teaching the gift of giving especially when you expect nothing in return. It also shows the readers that they should be thankful and happy with what they are given. This is a great story to use during the holidays when discussing those who may be less fortunate. Lesson Ideas: Students can be given a worksheet to help them think of those who give to them and those who they can give to. http://www.uniqueteachingresources.com/Giving-Tree-Lesson-Plans.html Author Website: shelsilverstein.com
Name: Kelli Prather 1. Book Title: The Girls Who Loved Wild Horses Author: Paul Goble Genre: Children's Literature - Award Winners - Social Studies Content/Fantasy Awards: The Caldecott Medal, 1979 - An ALA Notable Children's Book - A NCSS/CBC Notable Children's Book in the Field of Social Studies - One of the Children's Books of the Year; Chosen by the Library of Congress
Book Review: This book is about a young, Native American girl who loves and cares for the horses near her home. One day a big storm comes and scares the horses away, taking with them the girl who was riding on their back. The girl and her horses where welcomed into a group of wild horses where they lived for a year before her people found her and brought her back home. However, she was not happy and her parents soon allowed her to rejoin the horses. Every year she would return home to visit and bring a colt as a gift. However, one day she did not return and it was believed that she had become one of the wild horses. This book allows a powerful glimpse into the "horse people's" culture and ends with two songs about Native American connection to horses. I love how this book can be used in numerous diverse lessons while introducing students to a minority they may not be familiar with in a fun way. Your animal lovers will definitely be interested in this book and learning more about Native American culture after hearing this story. Lesson Ideas: This book is great because it can be used in many subject areas. You can have your students work together to create and decorate a tipi like the ones in the girls village (art). You could also use this book as an introduction to Native American culture (Social Studies). Finally, you could encourage your students to research wild horses in North America (Science). http://www.liveoakmedia.com/assets/guides/23143.pdf
2. Book Title: Where The Wild Things Are
Author: Maurice Sendak
Genre: Children's Literature - Award Winners - Fantasy - Picture Books Before 1970
Awards: The Caldecott Metal, 1964
Book Review: This is a story about Max, a young boy sent to bed without dinner who uses his imagination to escape his room and explore the place where the wild things are. He soon becomes king of the wild things and goes on many crazy adventures before returning to his room where he finds his dinner waiting. This a fun book that encourages the use of imagination and is a personal, lifelong favorite. I love how this book shows students that they can use their imagination and have adventures no matter where they are. This will be a book your students remember for years to come.
Lesson Ideas: Because this book opens the imagination it can be an awesome source for an English lesson. Use the cover and title of the book as a writing prompt before reading the story. Students can create their own stories and see how they match up to the original later. They can also mix science and art by designing their own Wild Thing and creating a fact sheet about it's habitat. Overall, your students will have fun with any lesson using this book.
3. Book Title: The Rainbow Fish Author: Marcus Pfister Genre: Children's Literature - Award Winners - Fantasy Awards: Abby Winner, 1995
Book Review: This book is about a fish with a lot of beautiful scales, but no friends. As the story progresses the fish learns the share his scales with other fish which makes him happy. As he becomes happy and less vain, more fish want to be his friend. This book demonstrates so many important lessons. In the beginning the fish has a lot of beautiful things but he is mean and vain so no one wants to be his friend. He learns that a happy heart is a thankful heart and that sharing is caring. When he starts to care less about his possessions he is able to open his heart to others. Lesson Ideas: Since the rainbow fish experiences so many emotions during this story, this book would be great to have students discuss those emotions and why he may feel that way. They can even act those emotions out. This story is also great to use when teaching kids to share or about their differences. https://www.education.com/lesson-plan/the-rainbow-fish/ Author Website: marcuspfister.ch
