"Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match / Marisol McDonald no combina" | Book Trailer

Use the link below to view my book trailer on 

Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match / Marisol McDonald no combina by Monica Brown.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7flk0Rrx3E

"The Gods and Goddesses of Olympus" | Book Blog 10

Title: The Gods and Goddesses of Olympus

Author: Aliki

Illustrator: Aliki

Genre: Traditional Literature

Publisher: HarperCollins

Copyright: 1994

Pages: 48

     This book tells the story of all the Greek gods and goddesses on a primary level. It starts from the very beginning telling the story of how the gods and goddesses that we hear about came to be and ends with some of the familiar stories that we may have heard. For students that have never heard stories of Greek gods and goddesses this book would be a great introduction. 

     The illustrations in this book remind me of Greek vase paintings and sculptures. The illustrations look to be a mixture of pencil and paint and are very colorful and etherial. Within the book there is a sketch of each of the 12 major gods and goddesses.

     I would like to use this book in a fifth grade classroom. I think a great activity to do after reading this book would be to let students create their own modern day greek god or goddess.  A way to incorporate technology into this lesson would be to use the website Storyboard That to show the story of the god or goddess that they have created. Students could come up with a name for their god or goddess, a symbol, a domain, a power, a weakness, and a backstory.

      

"Here’s a Little Poem: A Very First Book of Poetry" | Book Blog 9

Title:  Here’s a Little Poem: A Very First Book of Poetry

Author: Jane Yolen and Andrew Fusek Peters

Illustrator:  Polly Dunbar

Genre: Poetry

Publisher:  Candlewick

Copyright: 2007

Pages: 112

                                  

     This book is a compilation pf poems that capture all the moments of a child's day, from the moment they wake up until they go to bed at night. Authors Yolen and Fusek have gathered poems from widely know writers such as Langston Hughes, Margaret Wise Brown , and Gertrude Stein. The book includes over 60 poems that cover a wide variety of topics that children can relate to, like; "After a Bath", "In Bed With Cuddly Creatures", "Grandpa", "Cat Kisses", and many more.

     The illustrations in this book are warm and inviting. They are very animated and cartoon-like, but the colors are muted and pastel/warm. 

     I would like to use this book in a first grade classroom. One activity that I would do is to read a couple poems from the book and then have the students write their own poem about a part of their day. 

"The Name Jar" | Book Talk 2

Below is the link for my book talk on The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEHgXxHtw6U&t=3s

"A True and Faithful Narrative" | Book Blog 8

Title: A True and Faithful Narrative

Author: Katherine Sturtevant

Illustrator: n/a

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Copyright: 2006

Pages: 256

                                         

     This story follows a sixteen year old girl named Meg who lives in Restoration London. Meg loves books and talking to the writers and poets that visit her fathers book store, she even enjoys writing her own stories even though writing was not something that women did during this time. When one of Megs friends gets sold into slavery she uses her words and learns the true power behind them to try and set him free. Will Megs words be enough to save her friend? Pick up a copy of A True and Faithful Narrative to find out. 

     There are no illustrations in this book.

     I would like the use this book in a sixth grade classroom. This story focuses on the importance of writing and the power of words. After reading, I would like to have students write a story of their own that they that has the power to save a friend of theirs that is in trouble.

"Ida B: . . . and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World" | Book Blog 7

Title: Ida B: . . . and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World 

Author: Katherine Hannigan

Illustrator: n/a

Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Publisher:  Greenwillow/HarperCollins,

Copyright: 2004

Pages: 256

                                                 

     This story follows Ida B Applewood, a fourth grade girl with an almost perfect life. She is homeschooled and loves to spend her time on her family's orchard. Ida's life changes drastically when her mother is diagnosed with cancer, her family has to sell part of the orchard and she must now attend public school. Ida does not cope well with all the changes in her life, especially her mother's illness, and she finds herself in a very dark place. Luckily for Ida she has a family and a very patient teacher that love her and help her to find a way out of the dark place that she is in. In the end Ida learns how to live a happy life even though there are some bad things happening in her life as well.

     There are no illustrations in this book except for the cover art.

     I would like to use this book in a fourth grade classroom. Hannigan uses many types of figurative language, so before reading the story I would explain what a simile is and have the students listen for them while we are reading. After reading I would explore figurative language more by having the students explain what each simile from the story means. Another activity I would like to do with this book is to create a "New Student Welcome Plan". Ida had a hard time making friends and adjusting to her new school, as do most new students. After reading Ida B I would like to have students come up with ways to help new students feel welcome at their school. The next time that we get a new student I would let them put some of their New Student Welcome plans into action.

"Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean's Most Fearless Scientist" | Book Blog 6

Title: Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean's Most Fearless Scientist

Author: Jess Keating

Illustrator: Marta Alvarez Miguens

Genre: Non Fiction

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Copyright: 2017

Pages: 40

                                    

     This book tells the story of Eugenie Clark, who fell in love with sharks at a young age when she first saw them while visiting an aquarium. From that moment Eugenie knew that she wanted to spend her life studying and learning more about sharks,  but it was not long before she discovered something completely different that what she was hoping for. Eugenie found out that a lot of people thought of sharks as ugly monsters and that women were not smart enough or brave enough to become scientists, determined to prove them wrong Eugenie dove deeper into her studies and eventually dove deep into the ocean. What did she accomplish? What did she discover? Grab a copy of Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean's Most Fearless Scientist to find out how Eugenie earned her title "Shark Lady".

     The illustrations in this book are beautiful. Some of the pictures show the way that Eugenie sees the world as a child and as a students learning about sharks. The illustrator captures the emotions of the people in the drawings very well and also gives some of animals emotion in their faces. 

     This book could be used in a third grade classroom. Before reading the book I would have students write down what they think about sharks, and then after reading the book I would ask them if their opinions have changed or not. I would make a fact vs opinion work sheet about sharks and have the students decide which statements they thought were were facts and which were just opinions. After that we would review facts about sharks on flash cards. Along with a lesson on sharks this book is also great for teaching that you can achieve anything if you put your mind to it, no matter what other people think.