Fancy Nancy and the Mermaid Ballet~Jane O'Connor

Publisher: Harper Collins Children’s Books.

Published February 07, 2012

Summary:

Fancy Nancy and the Mermaid Ballet is a thirty-two page children’s book about Fancy Nancy and her best friend, Bree and their dance show coming up.  Unfortunately, another ballerina wings the leading role the mermaid so; Fancy Nancy has to play a tree.  Will Fancy Nancy be able to pull off glamour?

Genre:

Fancy Nancy has several versions and is considered to be a children’s novel book and realistic fiction.

Personal Response:

I really enjoy reading all of Jane O’Connor’s Fancy Nancy children’s books.   They are adorable and creative.  I like them mostly because of the glamour.

Jane O’Connor Bio:

Jane O’Connor was born and currently lives in the Upper West Side of Manhattan.  Jane graduated from Smith College with a BA in English Literature.  She is one of New York Times bestselling author’s.  She is known for her children’s books and the popular Fancy Nancy books published by Harper Collins.  “Three days a week, she works as an acquiring editor in the children’s books division of a major New York publishing house.” (Harper, 2012)

Other books by author:

Fancy Nancy series…

“The Snow Globe family”

“The emperor’s silent army: terracotta warriors of Ancient China”

“The Teeny Tiny Woman”

“Sir Small and the dragonfly”

“Eek! Stories to make you shriek”

“Lulu goes to witch school”

“Ready, set, skip!”

“Molly the brave and me"

Motivational Activities / Reader Response Questions:

If you were helping with this book what would your ballet be about?

Students will be put in groups and make a puppet show for this book.  Will be allowed to change and add on to this book if they desire.

What did Fancy Nancy have to be in the ballet?

What other Fancy Nancy books have read?

Bibliography:

O'Connor, J. (2012). Fancy Nancy and the Mermaid Ballet. New York, NY: Harper Collins.

Harper Collins Publishers. (2012). About the Author. In HarperCollinsPublishers. Retrieved December 1, 2012, from http://www.harpercollins.com/author/microsite/about.aspx?authorid=12552

Seababy: A Little Otter Returns Home~by Ellen Levine, illustrator Jon Van Zyle

 

 

 

Publisher: Walker & Company

Publication date: March 13, 2012

 

Summary: This children’s book is about a baby otter who ends up getting separated from his mother during a horrible storm.  Luckily, he ends up getting saved by a man who takes him to an aquarium that teaches him how to survive in the wild.  He learns: swimming, eating, and diving.

Genre: The genre of this children’s picture book is fiction along with being juvenile fiction.

Personal Response:  I was at first sad when the baby otter got separated from his mother.  But, overall I enjoyed this book because I like how with help he learned to survive.

ELLEN LEVINE Bio: Ellen grew up in New York City and currently resides there as well.  She is the eldest of her sisters.  Ellen ended up graduating from the University of Chicago with a M.A. in political science.  After graduating she decided to go be a teaching assistant grad student at Berkeley where she stayed for two years.  She ended up leaving Berkeley because she decided she wanted make documentary films.  So, she moved back to New York and worked at Public Televisions then CBS.  She then “realized so many of the stories she worked on for TV raised legal questions,” so she decided to attend NYU School of Law for three years.  After law school she decided to move to Philadelphia where she was a clerk for a federal judge for a year.  She loved the country life and hiking.  But, writing stories is her ultimate passion ever since she was a kid.  Along with being a writer and hiker she is also a woodcarver.  Ellen is the author of more than twenty-five books.  Both books “Henry’s Freedom Box” and “Darkness Over Denmark” received the Caldecott Honor.

Other books by Ellen Levine:

“Henry’s Freedom box”

“If your name was changed at Ellis Island”

“Freedom’s children: young civil rights activists tell their own story”

“Darkness over Denmark”

“If you traveled west in a covered wagon”

“If you traveled on the underground railroad”

“The tree that would not die”

“Catch a tiger by the toe”

“If you lived with the Iroquois”

“If you lived at the time of Martin Luther King”

Motivational Activities / Reader Response Questions:

If you were the sea otter and got separated where would you travel?

Draw a picture of the sea otter at the aquarium.

If you were hired to design the cover what would it look like?  Draw the picture on a piece of paper and color.  Present to the class.

Did the sea otter ever see his mother again?

What did the man teach him to do?

Bibliography:

Levine, E. (2012). Biography. In Ellen Levine. Retrieved December 1, 2012, from http://www.ellenlevineauthor.com/bio.htm

Levine, E. (2012). Seababy: A Little Otter Returns Home. N.p.: Walker & Company.

 

 

“Fly Guy vs. The Flyswatter!” ~By Tedd Arnold

Published by Scholastic Inc. SCHOLASTIC, CARTWHEEL BOOKS,

2011

**Friends and Friendship**

Summary:

“Fly Guy vs. The Flyswatter” by Ted Arnold is about a fly who joins Buzz’s on school fieldtrip to the flyswatter factory.  Fly Guy soon realizes that this trip isn’t as fun as he thought it would be.

Genre:

This book is a comedy and humor series of many other books by this author.  I think it is funny a fly ends up going to a flyswatter factor.

Personal Response:

I enjoy reading Tedd Arnold’s Fly Guy series books, they are entertaining and the illustrations are great.  The one thing that caught my eye was the cover of the book; I think it was the shiny silver.  I really how the book is in Chapters and have words in BOLD.

Tedd Arnold Bio:

Tedd Arnold was born in 1949, in Elmira, NY and when he was 10 years old he and his family moved to Florida.  His first art lesson was nothing but interesting, it was in an abandoned dentist office.  He graduated with a BFA from the University of Florida.  After graduating he soon meet Carol who he ended up marrying.  Carol was a kindergarten teacher.  They ended up having a son called Walter who they enjoyed reading stories to at bedtime.

Before long Tedd became interested in writing and illustrating stores; he tried to get his stories published but received rejections letter for six years straight.  He and his family soon decided to move to New York City where he started out at a larger publisher as a book designer.  Then his book that was inspired by his soon Walter called "No Jumping on the Bed!", which became a big success. He decided to leave commercial illustrating when his wife suggested he become a writer/illustrator of children’s books. His books have become extremely popular amongst elementary schools. He and his wife currently live in Elmira, NY and their two sons are grown and married

 

Other Books:

Detective Blue           Ride Fly Guy Ride!

I Spy Fly Guy             Super Fly Guy

Fly Guy Meets Fly Girl                 Hi Fly Guy

Buzz Boy and Fly Guy        Fly High Fly Guy

Shoo Fly Guy                  No Water In The Tub

There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed Fly Guy

Hooray For Fly Guy            There’s A Fly Guy In My Soup

Bibliography:

Arnold, T. (2011). Fly Guy vs. The Flyswatter. New York, NY: Scholastic, Cartwheel.

Scholastic Inc. (n.d.). Tedd Arnold. In Scholastic. Retrieved November 30, 2012, from http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/sites/default/files/asset/file/scholastic_teddarnoldbio.pdf

"The Three Little Pigs", retold by Patricia Seibert and illustrated by Horacio Elena

Published by Gingham Dog Press, 2008

Summary:

"The Three Little Pigs", retold by Patricia Seibert and illustrated by Horacio Elena is about three little pigs who leave their parents home to "discover a world beyond their own backyard".  Each pig soon realizes that they need to build a home to live in; one builds his out of straw, second out of sticks, and the third out of bricks.  After the pigs have finished building their homes a wolf appears and blows down the first and second little pig’s house. 

Genre:

“The Three Little Pigs” is folklore and animal fantasy children’s picture book.  This book focuses on three little pigs who meet a mean wolf that blows down two of their homes.  This book also falls under the genre animal fantasy; because the three pigs and wolf wear clothing, talk and experience emotions just like humans.

Personal Response:

I have always found the story of “The Three Little Pigs” to be entertaining and imaginative.  No matter how old I get I have yet to forget even a little part of the story.  I think this book is not only great to read at home to your children but also in a classroom.  This book works great when teaching students about comparison and contrast. 

Patricia Seibert Bio:

Patricia Seibert was born August 12, 1924 in St. Paul, Minnesota.  She was the daughter of Merritt and Velma Robbins.  Merritt, her father was a self-made banker and her mother Velma was a master gardener.  She started playing the piano at age four.  In 1947, she graduated from Macalester College and married Herman E. Seibert.  In 1957, she and her husband moved to Pinellas County, where Herman worked in the Honeywell plant and she was the treasured voice of the community.  When Patricia was in her late 20's she was in a car accident and ended up spending most of her time in a wheelchair or crutches.  On May 6, 2011 Patricia sadly passed away.

Other books:

           Mush                 We Were Here

Toad Overload             Storm Run

     El Nino

Motivational Activities/Reader Response Questions:

Students will be given cutouts of each pig and the wolf on a sheet of paper to color. Then will cutout and glue each to their popsicle sticks.  Will tell a story using their popsicle stick cutouts.

If you one of the three little pigs what would you build your house out of?

What did each of the three little pigs build their house out of?

Why did the third little pigs house not blow down?

Bibliography:

In Memory of Patricia R. Seibert. (2011). Retrieved November 14, 2012, from http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignity-memorial/obituary-print.aspx?n=Patricia-Seibert&lc=4681&pid=150851982&mid=4663223

Seibert, P. (2008). The Three Little Pigs. N.p.: Gingham Dog Press.

Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type is by Doreen Cronin and illustrated by Betsy Lewin

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, New York, NY

Year: 2000

 

Summary:

"Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type" is by Doreen Cronin and illustrated by Betsy Lewin.  This is about Farmer Brown who hears his cows typing in the barn which is not normal.  He soon had a problem; the cows left a typed note on the barn door demanding electric blankets.  Before Farmer Brown knows it he has a problem the cows go on strike since he denies their demands.

 

Genre:

The genre of the story is humor, fantasy, and comedy.  The setting takes place on a farm and the theme is creativity, cleverness, imagination, and conflict resolution.

Personal Response:

I absolutely love this book, the illustrations fit perfectly with the words.  This book is one of my daughter’s favorites.  I like how the illustrations aren’t designed to perfection like most books.  I like how Doreen Cronin wrote this book from a child’s perspective and that the words are easy to understand.  This book challenges the reader’s imagination in a great way.

Doreen Cronin Bio:

Doreen Cronin was born in Queens, New York and grew up in Long Island.  She graduated from Pennsylvania State University and then continued to St. John’s University School of Law.  She published her first book "Click, Clack Moo: Cows That Type" while she was a practicing attorney in Manhattan.  She originally wrote this tale while attending law school.  It was not easy to get this book published; in fact she received several denial letters from publishers.  It took her five years to finally get this book published.  After publishing this book she decided that she couldn’t be a practicing attorney and a children’s book author so she decided to leave the attorney life and devote her time to writing.  She currently lives in New York with her husband.

"Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type" received several literary awards:

Caldecott Honor (2001),

Charlotte Zolotow Award Nominee for Highly Commended Title (2001),

Vermont's Picture Book Awards: Red Clover (2002),

An ALA Notable Children's Book for Younger Readers (2001),

Charlotte Award (2002)...more

Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award for Picture Book (2001),

Book Sense Book of the Year Honor Book for Children's Illustrated (2001)

 

Other books by Doreen Cronin:

Giggle, Giggle, Quack                  Duck for President

A Busy Day at the Farm              The Trouble with Chickens

Click, Clack, 123                         Thump, Quack, Moo

Click, Clack, ABC                                    Click, Clack, Quackity-Quak

Diary of a Worm                                    Dooby Dooby Moo

Click, Clack, Splish, Splash- illustrator

Motivational Activities/Readers Response Questions:

Students will be allowed to use teacher’s typewriter and type up their list of demands.  After they have typed up their demands they will be allowed to share with the entire class.

Students will make their own animal mask

If you were Farmer Brown how would you solve the problem?

If you were the cow that had a typewriter what would be your demand?

If you were Farmer Brown would you have given into their list of demands?  Explain your answer.

 

Bibliography:

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

 

Cronin, D. (2012). Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type. In goodreads. Retrieved November 29, 2012, from http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/766955.Click_Clack_Moo

Scholastic Inc. (2012). Biography. In Scholastic. Retrieved November 29, 2012, from http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/contributor/doreen-cronin-0

 

 

Recipe For A Hippopotamus Sandwich ~ By. Shel Silverstein



Recipe For A Hippopotamus Sandwich

~ Shel Silverstein

“A hippo sandwich is easy to make.

All you do is simply take

One slice of bread,

One slice of cake,

Some mayonnaise

One onion ring,

One hippopotamus

One piece of string,

A dash of pepper-

That ought to do it.

And now comes the problem…

Biting into it!”

 

Summary:

Recipe For A Hippopotamus Sandwich was published in 1974 in a book called "Where the Sidewalk Ends" by Shel Silverstein.  This poem is an interesting and amusing.  The creativity in this poem about a Hippopotamus sandwich is brilliant.  

Genre:

Recipe For A Hippopotamus Sandwich is a rhyming poem.  I find this poem to be a great example to use in a classroom. 

Personal Response:

 Recipe For A Hippopotamus Sandwich is a rhyming poem.  This poem was entertaining and imaginative.  While reading the poem I kept on thinking what would a hippopotamus sandwich look like or taste.

 

Sheldon Allan Silverstein Bio:

According to New York Times writer Edwin McDowell, on November 8, 1981 “Silverstein ‘for several years now…has refused interviews and publicity tours, and he even asked his publisher not to give out any biographical information about him.’”  However, what is known about him is in 1932, he was born in Chicago Illinois.  He had one daughter and was unfortunately divorced.  Shel Silverstein was known for his unique style of poetry, creativity, and imagination.

 

Motivation Activities/Readers Response Questions:

Students will make Hippo paper bags and do a puppet show.

If you were a hippopotamus what color would you be?  Explain why.

What did you learn from this poem?

What type of poetry is this poem?

 

Bibliography:

Silverstein, S. (1974). Where the Sidewalk Ends (pp. 114-115). New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers.

Social Design. (2012). Recipe For A Hippopotamus Sandwich by Shel Silverstein. In All Poetry. Retrieved November 29, 2012, from http://allpoetry.com/poem/8538979-Recipe_For_A_Hippopotamus_wbr__Sandwich-by-Shel_Silverstein

Johnny Appleseed Written by Jodie Shepherd, Illustrated by Masumi Furukawa

Published by Scholastic Inc, New York, New York

2010

“Showing small acts of generosity and the love of nature can make a big difference.”

Summary:

“Johnny Appleseed” written by Jodie Shepherd and illustrated by Masumi Furukawa “is a story about a real boy who loved eating apples, planting apple seeds, and growing apple seeds”.  It talks about how changed from a young boy to a legendary man that spread apple trees across the United States.    

Genre:

This book is a Biography, general nonfiction children picture book. It is known for catching the eyes of children in grades PreK-third.  The reason this book is a considered to be a general nonfiction book is because it is the true story of man called Johnny Appleseed whose real name is John Chapman.  He spent 49 years planting apple seeds in the American wilderness.

Personal Comments:

When I first time I saw this book I thought “why is the boy wearing a pot on his head”. After reading this book I immediately fell in love with it.  I was surprised to find out that it was a true story about a man named John Chapman who spread apple seeds across America.  The theme/subject is American History and Agriculture.

Jodie Sheperd;

Still trying to find information on author.

 

  Motivation Activities/Readers Response Questions:

If you were Johnny what seed would you spread around the United States?

What did Johnny Appleseed learn from his journey?

If you could go on a journey with him where would you visit first?

What did you learn from this book?

What was your favorite part?  Explain your answer.

Bibliography:

Scholastic Inc. (2012). Johnny Appleseed. In Scholastic. Retrieved November 29, 2012, from http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/johnny-appleseed-7

The Story of Johnny Appleseed. (n.d.). In Ask AJ!. Retrieved November 29, 2012, from http://www.applejuice.org/johnnyappleseed.html

Shepherd, J. (2010). Johnny Appleseed. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs By, Judith Barrett, illustrated by Ron Barrett

Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers a Simon & Schuster, New York

Text & Illustrations copyright: 1978

First Paperback: April, 1982

Summary:

“Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” by Judith Barrett, illustrated by Ron Barrett is a favorite amongst first-third graders.  This children’s picture book is about a town called Chewandswallow that doesn’t have snow, rain, or wind but, has breakfast, lunch, and dinner fall from the sky.  Unfortunately, the people do not get to choose what food falls from the sky.  The town is okay with the weather until, the food starts coming down bigger and bigger and faster and faster.  The town ends up coming together to think of plan that will stop this change in weather.  Question is will the town people think of something?

Genre:

 The genre of this children’s picture book is humor and comedy.  It is a cheerful story that children love to read during circle time and on their own.  It encourages children to use their imagination and mind.  The theme is weather and season.  This book is fun and eye catching for all ages but, it is most popular in grades first-third.

Personal comment:

The cover alone is eye catching along with the book title.  For the longest time I thought how can you possibly use this in a classroom setting and learn from it.  But, with some guidance from a teacher I realized this book is can be used for a read-aloud and a science lesson.  For a science lesson you can use it when talking about the different seasons and the weather.

 

  Judi Barrett Bio:

In 1941, Judi Barrett was born in Brooklyn, New York.  She is well known for her picture books about food.  She married Ron Barrett who is an illustrator of some of her books along with “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”.  After their divorce they continuously worked on books together.  She currently lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts where she continues to be a children’s book writer and a kindergarten arts teacher.  In 1962, she achieved a B.F.A. from Pratt Institute.

Other Books by Author:

Pickles to Pittsburg-October, 1997

I Knew Two Who Said Moo-October, 2000

The Things That Are Most In the World-August, 2001

The Snake is Totally Tail- November, 2007

Never Take a Shark to the Dentist-March, 2008

The Complete Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs-November, 2009

Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing-January, 2012

Santa from Cincinnati-October, 2012

Saved by Soup-(most recent and nominated for James Beard and an IACP book award).

 

Motivational Activities/ Readers Response Questions:

• If you could control the weather, what would you have fall from the sky.  Draw a picture illustrating what would fall from the sky.
• If you were one of the town people what plan would you have to stop the food from getting bigger and falling faster.
• Have students look outside and write what they see in the clouds.  Then if there is time draw a picture.
• After reading the book aloud students will go outside and tell what the weather is like for that day.  (Students will know about the different types of weather front the morning announcements talked about every day.)

Bibliography:

Barrett, J. (1978). Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. New York, NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers - Simon & Schuster.

Scholastic Inc. (2012). Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. In Scholastic. Retrieved November 29, 2012, from http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/cloudy-chance-meatballs

 

Number the Stars~By. Lois Lowry

 

 

First Publication: 1989

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company

Friendship between Annemarie and Ellen

Summary:

"Number the Stars" by Lois Lowry is a historical fiction children's literature book.  This book is told from Annemarie Johansen's point of view about the rescue of her Jewish family.  It takes place during the Occupation of Denmark during the Second World War.  The overall theme of this book is about the difficulty of growing up.

Saint Leo University's Core Value:

Saint Leo University's Core Value community fits well with this book.  Annemarie and her family show a lot of courage because they put their life on the line to help others.  Also, when Annemarie's best friend was in danger she does what she can to save her life.

Genre:

Number the Stars is a historical fiction and war novel.  This historical fiction is based off of World War II. This book talks about the seriousness of the Holocaust without having to include all the gory incidents.

Lois Lowry Bio:

Lois Lowry was born in Hawaii and was the middle child of two siblings; her older sister Helen and younger brother Jon. She and her family eventually moved to New York once her schooling began. Her "father was a career military officer-an Army dentist and her mother took care of the family". (Lowry, 2012) 

Sadly, when the war started her father had to go overseas, so her mother took her and her siblings to live in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Her mother grew up in Carlisle, Pennsylvania which was also where Lois's grandparents lived. At the end of her sixth grade year they all moved to Tokyo where she lived until the end of her eight grade year. Then they moved back to New York City where she graduated from high school. After high school she decided to continue her education and attend Brown University in Rhode Island.

When she was a sophomore in college she married a naval officer at the age of nineteen. They ended up having four children most were born in different places. Her eldest daughter was born in Connecticut and her son was born in Florida. When her husband left the service they had two more children a girl and a boy who were born in Massachusetts. After years of putting her education on hold, she attended the University of Maine where she received her degree and then continued to graduate school. After years of being a dedicated mother and wife and graduating from graduate school she started writing professionally which was something that she has always loved doing.  In 1977, she divorced her husband but, by the age of 40 she met Martin who she spent thirty years with till he passed away.

She has written several different styles of books but most have the same theme: "the importance of human connections". (Lowry, 2012)  The first book she wrote was called A Summer to Die which retold about the unfortunate death of her sister and how much it affected the family.  Her eldest son who was a fighter pilot sadly passed away in a plane crash in Germany.

Other books Lois Lowry wrote:

Anastasia-1979

Autumn Street-1980

Anastasia at Your Service- 1982

The Giver- 1993Gathering Blue -2000

The Silent Boy- 2003

Messenger-2004

Gossamer

Etc...

Personal Comments:

The overall quality and message behind this book is truly breath taking. I enjoyed her style of writing and her use of heartfelt words. Throughout this book I could feel how much love she has for writing and her readers.  I would definitely read more books by this author.

Motivational Activities/Readers Response Questions:

·        Students will be given a paper with the timeline of events in the story and they will color and place the events in order. First, will color all the pictures. Second, will cut everything out. Third, will paste the events in chronological order on a piece of construction paper. Finally, will share with the class (optional).

·        What would you have done if you were Annemarie?

·        Write a journal entry from Annemarie's point of view if you were her. Illustrate and share with someone at your table. Compare your journal with the same person.

·        What is Annemarie's younger sister’s name?

·        What is the overall theme of the story?

·        In Chapter 1, Ellen and Annemarie both decide to not tell their mothers...

 

Bibliography:

Lowry, L. (2012, November 29). Biography. In Lois Lowry. Retrieved November 29, 2012, from http://www.loislowry.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=67&Itemid=196

Lowry, L. (1989). Number the Stars. N.p.: Houghton Mifflin Company.