Tag Archive for read aloud

Queenie: One Elephant’s Story

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Written by Corinne Fenton

Illustrated by Peter Gouldthorpe

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Many zoos have an animal that has caught the hearts of its community. Queenie is that animal at the Melbourne Zoo. She was the highlight of every child’s and many adults’ zoo visit from 1905 until 1944 and lives on in Melbourne’s collective memory – at least, that’s the author’s goal in writing this book.

Queenie is described as a gentle Asian elephant with likes and dislikes. Her personality is rounded-out as incidents both humorous and celebratory are described. There is no anthropomorphism as she is taken from the jungles of India to a zoo in Australia and eventually put to work carrying visitors on her back. Queenie often carries up to 500 visitors a day, six days a week. She does this from the age of nine until the age of almost fifty when she is removed from service.

The author has done extensive research on Queenie’s story, interviewing former employees, and zoo goers from the era.  The story is told lovingly but without unnecessary description, allowing the illustrations to fill in many of the details. The illustrations by one of Australia’s premiere artists have a period-photo-look using color ingeniously to focus reader’s attention. The images go from a ‘just-sketched’ surround to a photo-realistic center.

Reader alert: although the reading level is accessible to upper elementary readers, the content is mature. Young animal and elephant lovers may find the book’s conclusion heart-wrenching and difficult to understand without an adult’s guidance. This title may be best used as a read aloud or read together.

Readers’ may enjoy seeing the Melbourne Zoo’s Asian elephants as they appear today:http://www.zoo.org.au/melbourne/animals/asian-elephant

Here’s an interview with the author. You can also link to her webpage and blog from here:http://booksforlittlehands.blogspot.com/2011/08/interview-with-award-winning-childrens.html

The illustrator is from Tasmania. Find out more about him here: http://resources.education.tas.gov.au/item/edres/b4648d89-9314-188c-07ef-15679757185e/1/gouldthorpe_final.zip/petergouldthorpe.htm

Teachers’ may find these curriculum guides helpful: http://www1.curriculum.edu.au/rel/values/book.php?catrelid=1851

http://www.walkerbooks.com.au/statics/dyn/1340329762869/Queenie-Teachers-notes.pdf

  • QueenieTitle: Queenie: One Elephant’s Story
  • Author:  Corinne Fenton
  • Illustrator: Peter Gouldthorpe
  • Publisher: Candlewick Press
  • Reviewer: Carol S. Surges
  • Hard cover: ISBN: 978-0-7636-6375-9
  • Genre:  Nonfiction, Animals
  • Lexile Score: 890
Posted in 2013 tagged with ,

All Kinds Of Friends

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Written by Norma Simon
Illustrated by Cherie Zamazing

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It’s a picture book extravaganza about friends. Staying just this side of too sweet, author Norma Simon and illustrator Cherie Zamazing explore a child’s world of friends. Children think about friends everyday and their ability to make and keep friends is a critical skill. But friendship is also something many of take for granted. Which is to say this picture book fills a need in the literature: a discussion of friends. Written in free verse, each section looks at different pieces of friendship. Friends do things together. Friends sometimes fight, but learn to apologize. While most of the sections are just skimming the surface of friendship, Simon spends several pages addressing how kids can remain friends with someone who moves away, including suggestions of writing, calling and Skype. She also talks about making friends in a new place. The whole book uses the second person “you” to address the audience, as in “When you go to a new place, where you don’t know anybody, and nobody knows you, it’s a hard time.” Fortunately, the writing is broad enough to include most readers — most of us have gone to a new place at some point. And, the pictures show kids of every skin color.

This book will work particularly well as a read aloud at the beginning of new school years, or new camp sessions, when students are feeling insecure. Or it can be read alone by students at or above the second grade reading level. Younger students will enjoy finding pictures of kids doing the activities they do every day. Parents and teachers can ask them, do you ride the bus like these kids? Do you ride a bike? Have you ever talked with a new kid at school? Did you make a friend?

  • all kinds of friendsTITLE: All Kinds Of Friends
  • AUTHOR: Norma Simon
  • ILLUSTRATOR: Cherie Zamazing
  • PUBLISHER: Albert Whitman and Company
  • REVIEWER: Amy S. Hansen
  • ISBN: 978-0-8075-0283-9
  • GENRE: Picture book
  • LEXILE: 530
Posted in 2013, Friendship, Picture book tagged with ,

Celebrating Texas

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Written by Marion Dane Bauer

Illustrated by C. B. Canga

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Readers at the second grade reading level don’t need to get on a bus or a train to see the great state of Texas. They can read this latest in the 50 States to Celebrate Series, Celebrating Texas. It will be a great addition to students’ reading lists, although it certainly can be a read aloud book for children with lower reading comprehension.

Celebrating Texas is a guided tour through the state led by a pleasant character named Mr. Geo. He starts with a couple of nice maps. One is a map of Texas showing some cities and important sites. The second map places the state for the readers according to its relationship to other states and the country of Mexico. Mr. Geo guides the reader through pages about rodeos, what famous sites are in various cities, and the kinds of foods and dancing for which the state is famous. Animals are always of interest to youngsters, so Mr. Geo hikes to different areas of the state to introduce some of the animals native to Texas. The Caddo, who lived in bee-hive shaped grass houses, were a tribe of Native-Americans who first farmed the vast lands of Texas. Their word for “friends” is the origin of the name of the state. Famous Texans Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston also are introduced to readers along with a bit of information about how they helped build Texas. Crops, sports, industries, and natural resources are also part of the state’s story, and Mr. Geo doesn’t forget those. Fun facts are found along the bottom of many pages.

Four pages in the back of the book add some information and have some learning activities. A reading guide with summary, discussion questions for read aloud, teaching ideas, and a lesson can be found at http://www.scribd.com/doc/132313055/50-States-to-Celebrate-by-Marion-Dane-Bauer-Discussion-Guide. The author’s website address is http://www.mariondanebauer.com/. The illustrator’s portfolio can be viewed by going to http://www.directoryofillustration.com/ArtistPortfolioThumbs.aspx?AID=5491. Early readers will enjoy learning from this colorful book.

  • Celebrating TexasTitle: Celebrating Texas
  • Author: Marion Dane Bauer
  • Illustrator: C. B. Canga
  • Publisher: Sandpiper
  • Reviewer: Rosi Hollinbeck
  • Paperback: 40 pages
  • ISBN: 978-0-547-89786-8
  • Genre: Non-Fiction, Geography
  • Lexile Score: 600

 

Posted in 2012, Geography, Nonfiction tagged with , , ,

Ralph Tells a Story

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Written and Illustrated by Abby Hanlon

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Ever had writer’s block? Did you ever feel like what you had to write about just wasn’t very exciting? Well, that is exactly how Ralph feels in this charming metafiction tale. While everyone else in class seems to be able to produce volumes at writing time, Ralph doesn’t know how to begin to record even the mundane. His teacher insists that “Stories are everywhere!”, but when he stares out the window, at his paper, and at the ceiling, nothing seems to inspire him…until he lays under his desk, hiding, yet pretending to find inspiration. And then something happens when the teacher asks Ralph about his story, he has one!

Abby Hanlon’s line drawings capture the emotion of a budding writer in elementary school. This fun read-aloud is well-suited for a second grade class; this new book is an instant classic because any reader can relate. To reinforce comprehension, students may be asked to describe what techniques didn’t work to help Ralph get over his writer’s block and what helps them to personally clear away the fog that keeps them from completing assignments. As a teacher herself, Hanlon is familiar with students’ struggles with finding their stories. What I love most about this book is that Ralph is shown writing and brainstorming all over the room. His teacher is not caught up in his sitting on his bottom at his desk; Ralph’s teacher in encouraging and understanding of Ralph’s need to get up and move to find inspiration. Ralph Tells a Story is a must-have for any elementary classroom library.

For writing tips and prompts http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/journal-prompts.html

  • Ralph Tells a StoryTitle: Ralph Tells a Story
  • Author/Illustrator: Abby Hanlon
  • Publisher: Amazon Publishing
  • Reviewer: Sharon Schulte
  • Hardback, 38 pages
  • ISBN: 978-0761461807
  • Genre: fiction/writing process

 

 

Posted in 2012, Fiction, Writing tagged with , ,

Poco Loco

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Written and Illustrated by J. R. Krause and Maria Chua

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Poco Loco is a mouse who’s just a little bit crazy. He invents things that no one else would think of inventing, like the Cuckoo Clock-Coffeemaker, the Shower-Bed, and the Waffle Iron-Weather Forecaster. But those aren’t bad ideas. They are just a little different. What happens when Poco Loco tries to warn his friends Gallo, Gato, Cerdo, and Vaca of bad weather? They do not believe him because the sky is clear—and the weather forecast comes from a waffle iron. But when Poco Loco is swept up by the wind, they quickly learn Poco Loco and his invention are correct. One after the other of them tries to save him, basically ending up looking like a tail to a kite! Whipped away by the strong wind, they may not know it, but they are fortunate when the rain puts an end to their flight . . . and Poco Loco remembers his greatest invention—the helicopter-paraguas (helicopter-umbrella).

Perfect for the second grade reader, comprehension comes easily with the exciting, colorful illustrations. The bilingual approach, best enjoyed when the book is read aloud, will appeal to both Spanish and English learners at the second grade level. Teachers will appreciate the Glossary of Spanish Words, in addition to the many prompts in the text and illustrations. Much like Poco Loco, the authors J. R. Krause and Maria Chua are genios. Children will laugh uproariously at the silliness of Poco Loco and his friends’ adventure. Poco Loco is a must-have for any first, second, or third grade classroom.

Illustrator/Author Website: www.jrkrause.com

  • Poco LocoTitle: Poco Loco
  • Authors: J. R. Krause and Maria Chua
  • Publisher: Amazon Children’s Publishing
  • Reviewer: Bonita Herold
  • Paperback: 32 pages
  • ISBN: 978-1477816493
  • Genre: Picture Book
  • Lexile Score: 470
Posted in 2012, Picture book tagged with , ,

Little Red Hot

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Written by Eric Kimmel

Illustrated by Laura Huliska-Beith

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I love a tale where the young heroine can take care of herself. In this retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, Little Red Hot is a hot-pepper-loving, horse-riding, quiche-baking, big-bad-wolf-talking dynamo who figures out her own solutions. She is not perfect, but she figures out her mistakes and still finds a solution. Set in Texas, the story has the pace of a tall-tale, but one where we already know the story. We know Red will go to Grandma’s. We know there will be a Big Bad Wolf, or Señor Lobo. And we know everyone will come together at the end. What we didn’t know was how they do it in Texas. Suffice to say, the cuisine enjoyed by Little Red Hot, is not one that can be wolfed down. The pictures are as active as the character and give the feel of wide-open, cactus-filled landscape, where Little Red Hot seems both at home and in command.

This will be an ideal read aloud for younger students. However, as a retelling, it also perfect for emerging second grade readers. If the students have heard the story of Little Red Riding Hood, they will be able to make accurate predictions about this story, aiding their reading comprehension, while still enjoying the differences. I would even recommend this fun book for third, fourth and even fifth grade readers who might be working on comparative literature themes. Fractured fairy tales provide plenty of room to compare and contrast the well-known plot with the new one. Kimmel’s other picture books offer more fairy tale hijinks and more chances to compare and contrast.

Extras:

Visit Eric A. Kimmel’s web page and see what he is up to now.

www.ericakimmel.com/

  • Little Red HotTitle: Little Red Hot
  • Author: Eric Kimmel
  • Illustrator: Laura Huliska-Beith
  • Publisher: Amazon Children’s Publishing
  • Reviewer: Amy S. Hansen
  • Hardcover 32 pages
  • ISBN: 978-1-4778-1638-7
  • Genre: fiction, picture book
  • Lexile Score: 750

 

Posted in 2013, Fiction, Picture book tagged with , ,

Sherlock Bones and the Missing Cheese

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Written by Susan Stevens Crummel

Ilustrated by Dorothy Donohue

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A smelly, scrumptious cheese is missing!  This is no ordinary cheese.  It is made from the milk of a cantankerous cow, a Cowabunga.  It is delicious, delectable, but really smelly.  So when it disappears from its rock, Sherlock Bones is called to find that missing cheese.  He uses all five senses to gather clues.  Some witnesses saw strange things, others heard strange things.  He notes them all which lead him to the beanstalk.  He concludes that they have a giant problem.  Sure enough, a giant got hungry for pizza and thought the smelly cheese would be perfect for his concoction.  When Sherlock demands that the giant return the cheese, he puts all the cheese in his mouth.  Poor giant.  Now he has a giant stomach ache.  When he grabs Sherlock, they both fall out of beanstalk land.   The people of the dell are now able to trade the giant’s services for the cure to the Cowabunga Cheese Disease.

For all those amateur detectives out there, Sherlock’s clues are shown in detail and can be adapted into a literacy activity.  Sherlock’s problem solving method is a good model for young readers.  There is also the music for “The Farmer in the Dell” which the author claims was the inspiration for this story.  It is a very loose connection, but the song could be part of the story time that uses this book as a read aloud.  The intricate cut-paper illustrations are unique, giving a sense of depth as well as adding a humorous element of their own.  The illustrator shows her method on her website: (http://dorothydonohue.com/).

  • Sherlock BonesTITLE: Sherlock Bones and the Missing Cheese
  • AUTHOR: Susan Stevens Crummel
  • ILLUSTRATOR: Dorothy Donohue
  • PUBLISHER: Amazon Children’s Publishing
  • REVIEWER: Risa Brown
  • EDITION: Hardcover, 32 p.
  • ISBN: 978-0-7614-6186-9
  • GENRE: Rhyming stories, Picture books
Posted in 2012, Humor, Picture book, Rhyming tagged with

Happy Birdday, Tacky!

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Written by Helen Lester

Illustrated by Lynn Munsinger

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The team of author Lester and illustrator Munsinger delight children and adults with another installment of Tacky the Penguin stories. In this episode, several of Tacky’s penguin friends attempt to plan a perfect birdday party for Tacky, and they want it to be a surprise.

Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly, and Perfect bake a cake, secure the fishy ice cream, write and illustrate cards, prepare a special birdday card, purchase the extravagant dinner jacket, and line up some penguin entertainment. But, as often happens to an event when Tacky is involved, things don’t necessarily go as originally planned. Tacky wants to dine on the jacket and not in it. He wears the fishy ice cream cone on his head like a hat. He extinguishes the birdday candles with a hair dryer; and then tosses the cake like a football. And after those fiascos, Twinklewebs the Dance Queen, begins to perform her special ballet dance. But her swan song takes a mis-flight, and Twinklewebs is injured, or so the drama-queen thinks. In Tacky fashion, the guest of honor distracts the crowd with his Flapwaddle Dance, and suddenly Twinklewebs recovers and joins him in the dance, along with Tacky’s penguin friends.

Lester and Munsinger use the Tacky series to celebrate individuality and differences. The books often mention that Tacky is an “odd bird,” but yet he never fails to delight his friends in the story and charm readers, both children and adults. The stories of Tacky encourage readers to appreciate their uniqueness, as well as the differences of others around them.

Second grade readers will like the made-up words, like “flapwaddle,” “birdday,” “tippywebs,” and “Iglooslavia.” Be sure to check the children’s reading comprehension of the story with the created words used in the story and with the words used by the penguin character, Twinklewebs, spoken in an “Iglooslavian” accent.

After reading the story aloud to the class, pick a day to celebrate the individuals in your classroom. Play a game in which the students take turns sharing aloud a fact about themselves that they believe is unique, a characteristic that no one else in the room shares. Like, one child might say, “I was born in California.” If someone else in the room shares that same fact, then he or she joins the speaker at the front of the room, and the speaker must make another statement of uniqueness. The idea is for each child to share something about himself or herself that is completely individual to that child and will single he or she out as a special, unique individual. (And, it’s a fun way to get to know your students better!)

  • Happy Birthday TackyTITLE: Happy Birdday, Tacky!
  • AUTHOR: Helen Lester
  • ILLUSTRATOR: Lynn Munsinger
  • PUBLISHER: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
  • REVIEWER: Julie Lavender
  • EDITION: Hard Cover, 32 p.
  • ISBN: 978-0-547-91228-8
  • GENRE: Humor

 

 

 

Posted in 2013, Fiction, Humor tagged with ,

These Seas Count!

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Written by Alison Formento

Illustrated by Sarah Snow

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Something bad has happened at Sunnyside Beach.  There is trash everywhere.  So Mr. Tate’s class is helping to clean up the beach.  Captain Ned tries to keep the sea clean, but there is too much garbage for him and he needs some help.  He tells the children that the sea is sad and if they listen closely, the sea will tell them a story.  They hear about one whale leaping high, two giant sea turtles surfing, three marlins gliding and more.  But, for sea life to be free and happy, the oceans must be clean and have no pollution.  Everything in the ocean is connected so when the water is dirty, everything suffers.  Now Mr. Tate’s class counts bags of garbage!  When they ride on Captain Ned’s boat, they help clean the ocean then, too.

This lovely book emphasizes the need for humans to take care of earth.  Having the sea “talk” to the children makes it less didactic, but the message is still a stern one.  The digital collage illustrations create a feeling of depth with lots of color to keep the reader’s attention.  There is a bibliography and a list of internet sites as well as an author’s note that provides background information on ocean pollution.  Great for units on the environment.  This book is good for a class read aloud and its second grade reading level makes this a choice for student-made audio books or PowerPoint presentations.  The publisher’s website has a teacher’s guide with in-depth literacy activities: (http://www.albertwhitman.com/resources/BookResources/9/5/documents/these_seas_count_teachers_guide1.pdf).   There is a nice book trailer on the author’s website: (http://www.alisonashleyformento.com/www.alisonashleyformento.com/WELCOME_TO_MY_WEBSITE%21.html).

  • These Seas CountTITLE: These Seas Count!
  • AUTHOR: Alison Formento
  • ILLUSTRATOR: Sarah Snow
  • PUBLISHER: Albert Whitman
  • REVIEWER: Risa Brown
  • EDITION: Hardcover, 32 p.
  • ISBN: 978-0-8075-7871-1
  • GENRE: Environment, Picture Book
Posted in 2012, Environment, Picture book tagged with ,

Nature Recycles How About You?

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Written by Michelle Lord

Illustrated by Cathy Morrison

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The title describes the story and makes the book immediately attractive to parents, teachers and librarians looking for interesting ways to teach young readers to ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’. First and second graders (the book targets the 4-8 age group) will enjoy learning these little known facts. The decorator sea-urchin, what an apt name, lives in the Atlantic Ocean. “The water is warm, but he covers up.” Why? To protect himself from the rough waves and the sun’s strong rays. Maybe even to hide from predators. He decorates himself with colorful algae, rocks, corals and other ocean refuse. This is clearly REuse of easily available material. The facing page poses the question: Urchin recycles. How about you?

The Carolina wren uses spider webs, dog hair and snakeskin among other things to make her nest warm. The veined octopus takes discarded coconut shells to hide in when danger threatens. An Asian elephant’s ears are not large enough to keep away flies. He uses a fallen banana leaf as a fly swatter, and then  makes a meal of it! Each animal description can lead to interesting classroom discussions and many reading activities.

Consecutive two-page spreads — description of the animal on the left and gorgeous, full-color illustration on the right carry the story along. The question asked on the illustration page “(name of animal) recycles. How about you?” becomes a refrain that the youngest readers will look forward to, making the book an interesting read aloud. The earth also recycles. “The earth recycles water over and over.” The story ends with showing how children recycle, and the benefits of recycling.

One of the strong suits of the publisher, Sylvan Dell, is providing extensive follow-up information in the back matter that can be utilized to enrich the lessons. This book has a map activity, a quiz, and an explanation of why animals recycle. There is additional material online (sylvandellpublishing.com). Click on the book cover to go to the relevant page.

  • Nature RecyclesTitle:  Nature Recycles How About You?
  • Author: Michelle Lord
  • Illustrator: Cathy Morrison
  • Publisher: Sylvan Dell Publishing
  • Reviewer: Anjali Amit
  • Paperback: 32 pages
  • ISBN: 978-1-60718-6274
  • Genre: Non-fiction/Science
Posted in 2012, Nonfiction, Science tagged with ,
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