Sarah, Plain and Tall

Title: Sarah, Plain and Tall ** Newberry Honor**

Author: Patricia MacLachlan

Publisher: Harper and Rowe Publishers, 1985

Genre: Traditional Literature (Based on a true family event)

Age Range: 3-6

Summary: This book is based on a true story about these two children searching for their love from their mother. Anna and Caleb are two motherless children, who live all alone with their father in an isolated, rural community in turn of the century America. Life is difficult on the farm for the three lonely family members and are going through hard times. There are no neighbors close by and Papa still doesn't feel any need to search for a new love. There are not many women for them to meet anyways due to the town being so isolated. Caleb is still young and needs the love from a mother. Their mama died after giving birth to Caleb, and he has never known the love of a mother. Anna's heart is broken because she can give Caleb the love he needs and deserves and also because she misses her mother whom she remembers.

Response: I absolutely loved this book. I think I remember reading this book when I was little, but never saw the good side of the story. Books are more sentiment to you as you get older and can relate it to your own life experiences. This book made me feel young again and blessed to have my whole family with me. I think young girls that are mature would love this book. It's a great lesson and has a good moral to it for the children to learn by. I wouldn't read this book to the class or have the class read it, but I would provide it for the children to read.

The Whipping Boy

Title: The Whipping Boy

Author: Sid Fleischman

Illustrator: Peter Sis

Publisher: Greenwillow Books 1986

Genre: Realistic Fiction **Newberry Award**

Age Range: 3-6

Summary: Prine Horace is a spoiled child and misbehaves just to aggravate his father and receive attention. He is always up to no good and is deserving of whippings. However, as is the royal custom, princes are not to be harmed in any way, which means he will never be truly punished, whipped, beaten, or slapped. Instead, the castle employs a common boy to be the whipping boy. Each time theprince does something wrong, the servants fetch the whipping boy. The son of a rat catcher, Jemmy tolerates the constant whippings without making a sound, which he is determined not to do. When he finds out that the prince really wants him to, he is resolved to keep his silence.

Response: This book was really entertaining. I enjoyed how it used humor and boys, which is pretty much an every day experience for teachers. Boys at younger ages would love reading this book. It has humor, realistic fiction, and many other characteristics that young readers enjoy. I would have this book on my classroom shelf for the children to be able to read on their free time. As crazy as it is I think that some of the children have the same mind and attitude as Horace. They can easily relate to it.

Theodore Roosevelt: The Adventurous President

Title: Theodore Roosevelt: The Adventurous President

Author: Editors of Time for Kids with Lisa Demauro

Publisher: Harpers Collins Publishers

Genre: Nonfiction

Age Range: 3-6 Intermediate

Summary: Each day of Theodore's life was adventurous. He grew up having frogs and turtles in his bathtub and around his house to becoming a president. Even when he was a president his life was adventurous because he loved hunting, riding horses, and exploring. Teddy came from a wealthy family and went to Harvard University. He loved hunting big animals such as deer, buffalo, etc. He eventually became interested in politics and became president.

Response: This book was really interesting. It is well written for children to read and be able to easily understand. It made me feel like a teacher as I was reading it. It would be a great lesson for teachers to do and teach their students about the United States History. Theodore was big during the "settling movements". I would use this book in my classroom and use lessons around this book. It presents useful information, interesting facts, and even questions for the students to answer.

Eleanor, Quiet No More: The Life of Eleanor Roosevelt

Title: Eleanor, Quiet No More: The Life of Eleanor Roosevelt

Author: Doreen Rappaport

Illustrator: Gary Kelley

Publisher: Disney Hyperiod Books (2009)

Genre: Biography

Age Range: K-2

Summary: Eleanor's parents were never really good parents for the short amount of time they lived during their life. Eleanor and her brother moved in with their grandmother and other family members in a big house. She had everything they needed, but love. When Eleanor turned 15 she went to England for school and found a great friend, her teacher, Marie Souvestre. When Eleanor turned 18, she came back home and saw the struggle of some Americans. She soon married Franklin D. Roosevelt and had children. She raised them and helped with the Americans who had been at war. Eventually Eleanor taught a girls' school in New York City and Eleanor's life became more of her own. She fought for freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and freedom from want.

Response: I remember learning about Eleanor Roosevelt when I was younger. She was pretty big in women's history. I enjoyed this book because I love history and the roles women have had in previous times. This book made me feel like a teacher and like I should read this book. Children can learn more when lessons are integrated and this would be a great way to integrate literature with social studies. I would definitely use this book in my classroom in the future. Its a great way for children to learn things they didn't know before.

Wackiest White House Pets

Title: Wackiest White House Pets

Author: Gibbs Davis

Illustrated by: David A. Johnson

Publisher: Scholastic Press (2004)

Genre: Nonfiction Intermediate

Age Range: 3-6

Summary: All of the white house pets were different. They were called the wackiest pets because they had the cleanest teeth, they were most grizzly, most talkative, snappiest, tiniest, biggest ears, luckiest pet, most secret pets, biggest menagerie, most wholesome, best gardener, most precious, most suspicious, and best selling. All of these pets had their own uniqueness with different presidents. Gibbs Davis pulled the wackiest pets together to go along with the wackiest presidents.

Response: This book was really funny and entertaining. Children will love this book and will enjoy the humor used with the animals. This book left me without any feeling. It is one of those books you can take it or leave it. I think this book is for younger boys with those humorous and crazy minds. I would have this on my classroom shelf, but I wouldn't take the time to read it to the class. The book was funny, but it wasn't a great learning experience for the children to read.

Big-Enough Anna: The Little Sled Dog Who Braved the Artic

Title: Big-Enough Anna: The Little Sled Dog Who Braved the Artic *True Story*

Author: Pam Flowers with Ann Dixon

Illustrator: Bill Farnsworth

Publisher: Alaska Northwest Books

Genre: Nonfiction Intermediate

Age Range: 3-6

Summary: Anna was the smallest puppy in her litter, but also the bravest. When she was just 3 weeks old she was already wondering outside of the doghouse just to see what all was going on while her brothers and sisters stayed in the dog house. As her owner Pam started to go on a trip, she decided to take Anna. Pam, the owner, would come across other travelers and they would always tell her Anna was too weak and wouldn't last, but Anna lasted the whole way. Anna also became the leader of the pack and led the other dogs and Pam back home.

Response: I really enjoyed reading this book. I also loved that the book was based on a true story. I love anything based on true stories, I feel like the book has more meaning to it. This book made me want to have a dog up here in Boone to play with. I think children would love this book because of the determination the dog had and the fact that it involves animals. When I was young I loved reading books like this. I think young children today would still enjoy this book. This book would be a great read aloud to keep students paying attention and wondering what is going to happen next.

Chicks and Chickens

Title: Chicks and Chickens

Author & Illustrator: Gail Gibbons

Publisher: Holiday House (2003)

Genre: Nonfiction Primary

Age Range: K-2

Summary: Chicks, hens, and roosters are all different and unique. Chickens originally came from Southeast Asia thousands of years ago. People used their eggs and meat to supply food for their families. Most chickens are raised on farms, but some are raised as pets and entered in contests. There are many types of chickens and roosters that live and eat in many ways. Farm raised chickens eat from chicken food belts and drink from the waterer. Pet chickens roam around and eat off of the ground. Chicks are made through eggs that come out of the chicken and then are put in incubation units to form chicks.

Response: I really enjoyed this book because my family used to raise chickens and it made me feel young again. Children would love this book because it is about animals. The information the book presents is really interesting and provides great visuals for the children to understand and comprehend even better. I would use this book in my classroom and might even read it to the class. It is a great nonfiction book to have on the shelf for the children to read and experience.

Life Cycle of a Dog

Title: Life Cycle of a Dog

Author: Angela Royston

Publisher: Reed Educational and Professional Publishing

Genre: Nonfiction Primary

Age Range: K-2

Summary: There are hundreds of different kinds of dogs. Each dog has its own unique lifespan and unique parts on each dog. It could be their hair color, their eyes, their smartness, and their personality. Dogs begin their lives as puppies and grow each day. While they are newborns they can only feel and smell. As they grow older they get vaccines, visit the vet, and become part of other families. While living with their other families they are trained to do certain activities such as play with toys, run, sit, stay, etc. Also, they can have their own litter of puppies when they are older.

Response: This book was very informative about the life cycle of dogs. I enjoyed reading it because I am a dog person. I have been since I was little and first introduced to them. I think younger children in grades k-2 would love reading this because it is about animals. Animals always interest children when they are young. The book made me want to get another dog and play with it. I think that children reading this book would love it and can also relate it back to their own pets at home. And it can be a learning experience for them on reading a nonfiction book.

Graphic Novel

Title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw

Author & Illustrator: Jeff Kinney

Publisher: Amulet Books 2009

Genre: Graphic Novel

Age Range: 3-5

Summary: Frank Heffley wants his son, Greg to toughen up. Frank thinks that his son is a wimp and doesn't encounter enough "manly" endeavors. Eventually he threatens Greg to send him to a military academy making Greg become more of a man. Needless to say Greg never thought he would have to enlist in a military school because of his friends respectful and polite answers whom went to a military school. Greg going to the military school will change his attitude, but also a few other characteristics about him.

Response: I found this book rather interesting. It reminded me a lot like the book, 5th Grade Comedian. It has similarity between the characters and their struggles in life. This graphic novel was easier for me to read than the class book we read. The sentences weren't scatter. It was set up like a normal book with paragraphs, a sentence, or a word, but with a picture around it. It was easier for me to see which sentence was next because it was staggered. I would have this book on a shelf in my classroom. Children can relate their behaviors to this book and hopefully learn about how Greg needed to become more mature.

Poetry

Title: In Aunt Giraffe's Green Garden

Author: Jack Prelutsky

Illustrator: Petra Mathers

Publisher: Greenwillow Books-Harper Collins Publishers

Genre: Nonfiction, poetry, picture book

Age Range: 1-3

Summary: In Aunt Giraffe's Green Garden, there are over 25 poems that are involving animals, the outdoors, children, seasons, and certain big cities. A few of my favorite poems are The Snow Fell In Billings, In Aunt Giraffes Green Garden, and This is What Happened. This is What Happened is about a duck and a donkey playing on a hot summer day. The Snow Fell in Billings is about snow in May, in the mountains, and children come out to play. In Aunt Giraffes Green Garden is about the giraffe being just as tall as the flowers and the bugs rest on the flowers being careful and trying not to fall. All of the poems are interesting and show a variety of different themes in each of them.

Response: I never really like poetry and I have thoroughly enjoyed this book. The poems describe nature, animals, seasons, etc. All of the themes are important for children to learn as they mature throughout their school ages. These poems would be great for elementary education students because of the easy reading and interesting ideas provided in them. I would have this book on my classroom shelf because it is not just a typical literature book, but it involves poetry and interesting themes that children at young ages love.

Realistic Fiction

Title: Ramona Quimby, Age 8

Author: Beverly Cleary

Publisher: Harper Collins Publisher; 1981

Genre: Realistic Fiction *Newberry Honor*

Age Range: 3-5

Summary: Ramona Quimby's third grade experience is one she will always remember. Her older sister, Beatrice is in junior high now so she rides the bus all by herself, Ramona throws up in front of everyone in the classroom, she smashes a egg on her head thinking it is boiled, but its not, struggles to make her teacher like her and many more incidents. While all this action is going on her father is taking college classes to become a teacher and struggling to give Ramona the time she wants, along with Beatrice and her mother. Ramona eventually gets the hang of third grade and also the adjustment of her family being busy all the time.

Response: I really enjoyed this book. I remember reading it when I was in the 3rd or 4th grade and absolutely loved it because I could relate it to my own life. The book made me feel young and want to be in the third grade again. This isn't the best book, but its a good book for children to read this in the classroom or outside of the classroom. It illustrates someone at a similar age going through hard times and they can relate back to their own experiences as well. This book is an easy reader, so I would recommend this book for 3rd and 4th graders.