Little Red Riding Hood

Little Red Riding Hood is a folklore that is about a young girl going to visit her grandmother but she meets a wolf and he gets there first and tries to trick them. This is a tale that has been told a lot over time. There are many adaptations of the story, some more violent than others. This one is not very violent at all. No one is eaten or cut out of a wolfs belly, like in some of the other telling's of this story. At the end of this version of the story, the wolf just runs away never to be heard from again.

The illustrations do a good job of telling the story. It is more of a happy tale and the bright acrylic paintings and outline drawings do a good job of portraying this.

Motivational activities would be to discuss where little red riding hood went wrong in the book. Another one would be to have the class perform a play about the story.

Reader Response Questions:

1. What could little red riding hood done different on the way to the grandmother's house?

2. What would you have done if the wolf approached you in the forest?
                                                                           

References

 

Galda, L., Cullinan, B. E., & Sipe, L. R. (2010). Literature and the child (7th ed.). Belmont, CA:

                       Wadsworth/Cengage Learning. 

Ransom, C. F., & Lyon, T. (2005). Little Red Riding Hood = Caperucita Roja. Columbus, Ohio:
                        School Specialty Children's Pub..





Cheetah Can't Lose

 

Cheetah Can't Lose is a tale about a cheetah that is very strong and fast, but must go up against some crafty and smart cats in a race that the Cheetah thinks he is sure to win. It is a great story about not being too overconfident and also how nice some people can be. The cats put the Cheetah through some silly competitions in order to slow the cheetah down.

 

This is a very bright and colorful picture book that will keep a child's attention all the way through. The pictures look like there are different techniques used for the illustrations. They look partly to be computer generated and also they are painted with acrylics.

 

 

 

Some motivational activities could be to have a class discussion about why the cats let the cheetah think that he won at the end.

 

Another activity could be to have the class have small competitions like they had in the book and then have a discussion about playing fair and having a good attitude when you do not win

 

Reader Response Questions:

 

1. Why did the cats play so many tricks on the Cheetah?

 

2. How could the Cheetah have had a better attitude during the games?

 

 

References

 

Galda, L., Cullinan, B. E., & Sipe, L. R. (2010). Literature and the child (7th ed.). Belmont, CA:

                        Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.

 

Shea, B. (2013). Cheetah can't lose. New York: Balzer + Bray.

 



The Mouse and the Motorcycle

The Mouse and the Motorcycle is a tale about a mouse that lives in a hotel. All he wants to do is ride the motorcycle that belongs to a little boy named Keith. Keith teaches Ralph to ride the motorcycle.
This is a fantasy book because mice cannot talk and ride motorcycles. Each chapter is filled with the adventures that Ralph and the motorcycle have throughout the hotel.

There are not a whole lot of pictures in the book, but the ones that are in it are pencil sketches. The sketches give the reader a small visual glimpse into what is going on in the story.

 

 

Some motivational activities would be to have the class write a paragraph about what type of adventures they would want to have if they were Ralph and had a motorcycle.

 

Another one would be to have the class discuss what it would be like to be a mouse in a hotel. What kind of problems would a mouse run into?

 

 

Reader Response Questions:

 

1. Why would a mouse want to ride a motorcycle so bad?

 

2. Why do you think Keith and Ralph get along so well?

 

 

 

                                                                          References

 

Cleary, B., & Darling, L. (19901965). The mouse and the motorcycle. New York: Avon Books.

 

Galda, L., Cullinan, B. E., & Sipe, L. R. (2010). Literature and the child (7th ed.). Belmont, CA:

                       Wadsworth/Cengage Learning



 



The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe

 

 

The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe is a fantasy book set in a land that exists by going through a door in a wardrobe. There is an evil witch in a land called Narnia, and a lion that is king. The book is filled with all different kinds of talking animals and some animals that do not even exist in real life. It is a very interesting  book to read with it's great characters and settings.

 

C.S. Lewis does and excellent job leading the reader into this fantasy world where you step through a wardrobe and enter an enchanted land of mystical creatures. The illustrations that are in the book are black and white sketches of some of the scenes and characters in the book.

 

 

 

 

Some great motivational activities would be to have the class draw a picture of what Narnia would look like to them since there are not a lot of illustrations in the book. Another activity could be to have the class act out a small play in the classroom set to the novel.

 

 

Reader Response Questions:

 

1. What was your favorite character in the book and why?

2. Would you have done anything different at the end of the book? If so how would you have changed it?

 

References

 

Galda, L., Cullinan, B. E., & Sipe, L. R. (2010). Literature and the child (7th ed.). Belmont, CA:

                          Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.

 

Lewis, C. S., & Baynes, P. (19941978). The lion, the witch, and the wardrobe. New York, NY: 

                          HarperTrophy.

 

 

 

Pizza, Pigs, and Poetry How to Write a Poem

 

 

 

This book is a poetry book, but it is also a how to write poetry book. It is also a contemporary realistic fiction. The author also tells you about his family throughout the book. He tells stories from his childhood. I think that this is a good change of pace in this book. It offers the young reader a lot. The reader can learn and be entertained at the same time. There are no pictures or illustrations in this book.

 

Some motivational activities would be to have the class pick a chapter where he teaches you how to write a certain type of poem and then the students can try to writ their own poem.

 

Another activity would be to have the class pick a poem out of the book and evaluate it.

 

Reader Response Questions:

 

1. Did the book help you understand how to write poetry? If so, How?

 

2. What parts of the book  did you find most entertaining?

 

 

References

 





Galda, L., Cullinan, B. E., & Sipe, L. R. (2010). Literature and the child (7th ed.). Belmont, CA:
                           Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.

Prelutsky, J. (2008). Pizza, pigs, and poetry: how to write a poem. New York: Greenwillow Books.

Anne Frank: Her Life in Words and Pictures

 

This book is the story of Anne Frank and her family. The book shares her real life family pictures that were mainly taken by her father, Otto Frank.

 

 

Anne Frank Her life in words and pictures is a nonfiction book that takes you through her life from birth to death. It can also be considered a biography. It tells the true story of her life. This is a very sad and historic time period. The book really does a good job of integrating so many pictures with the text from her diary. For children just reading a diary from the 1940's might seem boring, but there are so many pictures in this book and the reader can really get a feel for Anne and her family.

 

 

There are no illustrations within this book. The entire book has photographs and text. In the beginning there are so many photos of Anne and her family, but as you get into the book there are less and less photos. The photos help with the emotional part of this story, They are bright and cheery In the beginning but eventually it is pictures of the place that they were hiding.

 

 

 

 

 

Some motivational activities that can be done are a class discussion on how the book makes them feel. I think that a discussion would work out best because of the sensitivity of this subject.

 

 

Another activity could be to have the students write a paper about stories that they may have been told or heard of during this time in history.

 

Reader Response Questions?

 

1. How can you relate to Anne Frank?

 

2. Is there anything that you would have done different than Anne?

 

 

                                                                        References

 Galda, L., Cullinan, B. E., & Sipe, L. R. (2010). Literature and the child (7th ed.). Belmont, CA:

                               Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.

 

Metselaar, M., Rol, R. v., & Pomerans, A. (2009). Anne Frank: her life in words and pictures from

                               the archives of the Anne Frank House. New York, NY: Roaring Brook Pr./Flash

                               point.



 











A Dog Called Whatnot

This is an adorable tale about a boy that wants a dog and he finds one in the park and they really like each other. The problem is that he is not allowed to have a dog because they all believe that his sister is allergic to dogs.

This book is a contemporary realistic fiction and also a picture book. This story could happen in real life. The setting is in present time, there is nothing that would date it in the past. The illustrations are very colorful and very true to the story. It looks like acrylic paints or watercolors are used for the illustrations.

Some  motivational activities would be to have the class draw an animal that they have or would like to have and then tell the class about it.

Another activity could be to have a class discussion about what to do when you find a stray animal.

Reader Response Questions:

1. How do you think it made Tim feel when he had to give Whatnot back to his owner? Why?

2. What would you have done if the dog kept coming back to you, but you couldn't keep him?

References

 

Galda, L., Cullinan, B. E., & Sipe, L. R. (2010). Literature and the child (7th ed.). Belmont, CA:      

                                Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.

 

Newbery, L., & Ripper, G. (2006). A dog called Whatnot. New York, NY: Crabtree Pub. Co..

 





What Was the Boston Tea Party?

 

What Was the Boston Tea Party is a nonfiction book that describes what the Boston tea party was and who participated. This is a historical book. It is also a picture book. There are sketches throughout the book. There are also artist renderings of the important people of the time. None of the illustrations or painting copies are in color. I think that it helps with placing the time period. There would not have been color photographs during this time.

 

 

 

 

Some motivational activities that could be done would be to have a class discussion about what they believe the impact of the Boston Tea Party had on history.

 

Another idea would be to have the class write a few short paragraphs about that time period and what people went through in America to get their freedoms.

 

 

Reader Response Questions:

 

1. Why did the people that threw all of the tea in the harbor dress as Indians?

 

2. What type of things could have gone wrong that night?

 

 

References

Galda, L., Cullinan, B. E., & Sipe, L. R. (2010). Literature and the child (7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.

 

 



Krull, K., & Mortimer, L. (2013). What was the Boston Tea Party?. New York: Grosset & Dunlap.

 

 



Where the Sidewalk Ends

 

Where the Sidewalk Ends is a collection of poetry that is written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein. It is a mix of shorter and longer poems. They are mainly fantasy poems but some of them could be considered realistic fiction.

 I think that there is a lot of content that speaks to the young readers. I remember this being one of my favorite books as a child. When I think of funny and silly poetry I think of this book. Some of them are silly and talk about everyday things, for example trying to get up in the morning and how hard it can be sometimes.

 Some of the illustrations that are in the book bring the poems to life. The sketch drawings really let the reader visualize what is being described by the poem. Since all of the pictures are black and white, I would have to say that a graphite pencil was used for the drawings.

 

 

 

Some motivational activities to use in the classroom with this would be to choose a poem that does not have a picture with it and draw an illustration to go with that poem.

Another activity could be to evaluate a poem of their choosing from the book and evaluate the meaning and the feelings that the poem evokes in the reader.

 

 Reader Response Questions:

 

1. What is the age group that the writer is aiming at with this poetry? What made you come to that conclusion?

 2. Do the illustrations help or hinder the poems In the book? Why?

 

References

 Silverstein, S. (2004). Where the sidewalk ends: the poems & drawings of Shel Silverstein. (30th

                     anniversary special ed.). New York: HarperCollins.

 

Galda, L., Cullinan, B. E., & Sipe, L. R. (2010). Literature and the child (7th ed.). Belmont, CA:

                       Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.

Elizabeti's Doll

 

Elizabeti's Doll is about a young girl that finds a large rock to take care of as her baby. Her mother had just had a baby and she also wanted to take care of a baby.

 

 

This book is a multicultural picture book. There are bright and colorful pictures on each page that appear to be watercolor illustrations. This book shows how some cultures live in villages and they help one another out. They have a special hut that is used for cooking. They all have certain jobs that they do within the family.

 

 

I think that this is a very good example of a contemporary realistic fiction book. Everything that happens in this book can and most likely has happened in real life before. It gives a good example of the feeling a child may have when they have a new baby brother or sister. 

 

A good motivational activity with this book is to have the children write a paragraph about an emotion that they have felt before and have them describe it. This will support good writing skills and have them understanding emotions.



Reader response questions:

1. Why did Elizabeti want to take care of a rock?
2. What is a typical toy used for kids to pretend to be a real baby in America? Compare and contrast the difference in the story to the toy American's would use.

References

 

 

Bodeen, S. A., and Christy Hale. Elizabeti's doll. New York: Lee & Low Books, 1998. Print.

 

 

Galda, Lee, Bernice E. Cullinan, and Lawrence R. Sipe. Literature and the child. 7th ed. Belmont,
                  CA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning, 2010. Print.  


The Busy Little Squirrel

 

 

This is a cute tale about a busy little squirrel that keeps refusing to be with the other animals because he is collecting food for winter.

 

This book is a picture book. All of the pages are covered with bright and colorful, full page illustrations.

 

The book would appear to be realistic fiction besides for the animals talking to the squirrel.  Otherwise all of the setting and animals are accurate. Squirrels collect food for the winter since food is scarce.

 

Bright colors and texture are used a lot in the illustrations. The backgrounds are not as detailed as the animals that are the focus of the illustrations. The animals show a lot of detail, even down to the fur on the squirrel.

 

 

Some motivational activities would be to find out which animals collect food for the winter and which animals hibernate for the winter. Another motivational activity would be to have students figure out what types of food each animals eats. There are a vast amount of animals in this story that they can use.

 



I think that this is a very good book to introduce young students into the animal world. They will discover why some animals collect food for the winter and why some do not. The illustrations keep the kids attention throughout the story.

 

 

Reader Response Questions

 

1. Why is the squirrel collecting food?

 

2. Why doesn't the squirrel want to play with his friends?

 

References

 



Tafuri, Nancy. The busy little squirrel. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 

                          2007. Print.

Cassie's Word Quilt

Cassie's Word Quilt

I chose the book, Cassie's Word Quilt by Faith Ringgold. This is a picture book about a little girl that lives in Harlem and she takes you on a tour of her home, neighborhood, and school. 



This book is part memoir and historical fiction. Faith Ringgold grew up in Harlem, New York where these books take place. She was born in 1930. The book is set in  1939. In one of the pictures there is a date given on a picture of a blackboard. There are subtle hints in the illustrations of when the time period is.

Cassie's Word Quilt is good for younger readers since there are pictures with their descriptive word under each one. There are a lot of different colors in the illustrations. The items are easily identifiable for children and it teaches them word association. 

There are a few motivational activities that can be done with this book. 

• A students can be asked to make a list of things that they also have in their home, school, and neighborhood that are shown in the book.
•  Also on those same pages a search for certain items can be done. For example they can be asked to find the book bag in the picture. They can either identify it by the picture or the word.
• Students can be asked what type of people they see in the pictures. There are a vast amount of pictures with people performing different jobs or doing different activities.

This is a very good cultural book for younger children. It will teach new words and give them a glimpse back in time to the 1930's in Harlem. The illustrations are bright and colorful and have a lot of small details that will keep their eyes moving about the page.

 

Reader Response Questions

 

1.  What things do you and Cassie both have in your house?

 

2. Where does Cassie live?

References:

Faith Ringgold, . (2002). Cassie's Word Quilt. New York: Alfred A Knopf.

Lee , G., Cullinan, B., & Sipe, L. (2006). Literature and the Child. Belmont: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.