Rosa

Rosa was written by Nikki Giovanni and beautifully illustrated by Bryan Collier.  This wonderful award-winning Caldecott Honor Book tells the story of Rosa Parks with her decision to say "no" in an honorable fashion which will be appealing and understandable to primary school-age children.

Biography

The story begins in early December 1955 with Mrs. Parks working at her job as a seamstress.  On her way home, after finding all of the seats reserved for blacks taken, she takes a seat in the "neutral" section where blacks or whites could sit. 

She is told by the bus driver to get up and Rosa firmly says "no"--she has had it with "Colored taxis, Colored drinking fountains and Colored entrances!"  Rosa is arrested and the townspeople of Selma and Montgomery, Alabama are furious, but none angrier than the Women's Political Council!  They join together to make posters, such as "No Riders Today" and "Support Mrs. Parks--Keep Off The Buses" to encourage folks to boycott the buses and the townspeople oblige--they walk and continue to walk month after month! Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. joins the protest and says, "We will walk until justice runs down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream" (great simile for children!).  Finally, on November 13, 1956, almost a year after Rosa Parks was arrested, the Supreme Court of the United States declared that segregation was illegal as we need to uphold the Constitution of the United States.

As stated in the conclusion of this outstanding book:

"The integrity, the dignity,

the quiet strength of Rosa Parks

turned her no into a YES for change."

Collier's vivid and realistic illustrations are representative of this time period and he uses the media/technique of watercolor-and-collage and most of the pictures have a "dim effect."  The illustrator stated that he chose this style because during his research, when traveling to Alabama, it was so hot and thought his illustrations should reflect the setting.  Much of the beautiful artwork reminded me of the excellent illustrations in Eric Carle's books with his collage-style pictures.

This book will teach children first and foremost about respect for one another, which honors the Saint Leo Core Value with regard to respecting each other's dignity to promote unity within our society.

Class Activities:

1. After explaining the word "segregation" prior to reading the book, ask younger children to tell about a time when they felt "excluded or left out" because of what they looked like, where they lived, their clothing, etc.  The teacher begins the activity, giving an example that possibly "Tommy" felt left out because he didn't have the newest style sneakers that his friends had.  
2. Ask older children to look up the definition of "segregation" in our dictionaries and write it down. Secondly, for homework, ask them to write down a time when they felt "segregated" and bring their thoughts in tomorrow so we can discuss as a class.  

Both of these activities will teach younger and older children to honor the Saint Leo Core Value of Respect as they teach them about respect, acceptance and the diversity in our culture in an age-appropriate manner that they can relate to.

I so enjoyed this inspirational book and surely know all children will love it as well!

Other outstanding books by Nikki Giovanni:

• The Sun Is So Quiet
• Chasing Utopia: A Hybrid
• Black Feeling Black Talk

Reference

Giovanni, N. (2005). Rosa. New York: Holtzbrinck Publishers.

The book begins at Christmas time

The Message (Animorphs)

The Message is the 4th book in the Animorphs series, written by K. A. Applegate.  This book would be classified as science fiction with its focus on the characters morphing themselves into animals for various reasons.  The main character, Cassie, and her group of friends have many dreams about their ability to morph and they are unsure about what these dreams and nightmares are about--are they messages to protect them or are they in danger?

                           Science Fiction

This book and the entire series would be classified as excellent science fiction based on the inability for humans to transform into animals; however, it also incorporates discussing DNA, which is a very important aspect when discussing science.  Although this story is unrealistic, The Message reminded me of cloning animals which is now realistic since Dolly the sheep was cloned way back in 1996!  In the past, cloning would have been thought of as science fiction, but as we now know, with scientific developments and advancements occurring so rapidly, each and every day, readers can relate to the story content. Furthermore, according to Literature and the Child, "Science fiction writers take the possibility of change to its ultimate extreme" (p. 221).

The Message and the prior three books in the series are geared to the higher primary grades/middle school (4th-7th) based on the content and the lack of illustrations.  The cover photo is outstanding as it shows Cassie transforming into a dolphin which occurs in the final chapter.  The uplifting and exciting conclusion will be memorable for readers as the dolphins feel Cassie is "one of them" and want her to play and dance with them and she states, "And so I did" (p. 154).   

Even though I am not a big fan of science fiction, my children read this book and thoroughly enjoyed it!  I so loved hearing about their thoughts and ideas and what they feel the future will be like.  I feel this book is very effective in engaging children to think about past and current scientific advancements and how we are so fortunate because of these developments.

Class Activities:

1. While reading the book, ask the students to write down words that are unfamiliar to them.  Then, for homework, have them look up the definitions and have them share their understanding of the words with the class the next day.
2. Have students write a story about "futuristic developments" that they believe will happen in their lifetime, for example, "everyday people taking a trip to the moon!"

Other books in the Animorphs series by K. A. Applegate:

• The Invasion
• The Visitor
• The Encounter

References

Applegate, K. A. (1996). The Message. New York: Scholastic, Inc.

Galda, L., Cullinan, B. E., & Sipe, L. R. (2010). Literature and the Child. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Inc.

George Washington and the General's Dog

George Washington and the General's Dog was written by Frank Murphy and illustrated by Richard Waltz.  This historical fiction story wonderfully depicts the life of George Washington in the mid-late 1700s and contains much factual information about the period 1776-1777.  It is presented in an understandable manner for children in 1st-3rd grades and even though the title focuses on George Washington and his dog, the author did this intentionally to engage children to make the story not only educational, but fun and entertaining!

                      Historical Fiction

The story begins with children visiting a museum and learning how George Washington was such a hero--very honest and brave and proceeds on to say that many didn't know something about him--he loved animals, especially dogs!  The book continues on talking about how the dogs accompanied Washington and his soldiers into battle and how they were very helpful with hunting, tracking and frightening off wild animals. Many other historical figures, places and events are discussed throughout the story such as, William Howe, Alexander Hamilton, Mount Vernon and the American Revolution.  The story concludes with the American people honoring George Washington and his great deeds by electing him to be the first president of the United States. 

This book is very beneficial in teaching young children about George Washington's times and they will enjoy how the storyline is made fun by talking about his love for dogs!  Children will surely relate to his love for animals and will be entertained with the bright and colorful illustrations throughout the book.  The media and technique are watercolor and pen and ink with actual historical photographs on the Author's Note page at the end of the book.  The author does specify, as shown below, that this story is true and represents actual events!

I think this book was excellent and will keep children interested as they learn about this historical period of time!  While reading the story to young children or when older children are reading it, they should be told that several events happened right here in Pennsylvania, only an hour away from us in Valley Forge!

Class Activities:

1. Ask children if they have ever been to Valley Forge or Brandywine Battlefield and, if so, what do they remember about their visit?
2. Have children draw pictures of their dogs or any pets they have and ask them if they have ever helped them out?  
3. Ask children to select a person or event from the story and find out more information about it.  Then, ask them to bring their findings in tomorrow so we can learn about it.

Other outstanding books by Frank Murphy:

• Always Inventing: The True Story of Thomas Alva Edison
• Ben Franklin and the Magic Squares

Reference

Murphy, F. (2002). George Washington and the General's Dog. New York: Random House

Rum Pum Pum

Rum Pum Pum is a folk tale from India, retold by Maggie Duff and wonderfully illustrated by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey.  This story is excellent in teaching children about cooperating and helping one another!

Narrative Folklore

The book begins "Long ago in India" with the King hearing Blackbird singing beautifully with his wife next to him!  The King decides he wants Blackbird captured so he can have him caged in his castle, then the King will always be able to hear the singing!  Unfortunately, since Blackbird and his wife look alike, the King's men caught Blackbird's wife instead, leaving Blackbird quite angry!

Blackbird is determined to find his wife, dresses as a soldier and he sets out on a mission to find his wife, meeting other animals and objects along the way who were also betrayed by the King!  Throughout the story, we read the line "RUM PUM PUM, RUM PUM PUM, RUM PUM PUM PUM PUM" as Blackbird bangs his kettledrum and he and his friends head towards the castle!  They all join forces and work together to come up with an exciting plan to bring Blackbird's wife home and the story concludes with "They have lived happily in their tree ever since."

Children will enjoy this book and I feel it represents quality folklore with the word choice having the animals and objects speak just as the humans do within the story.  Also, many fun rhymes are incorporated into the text along with the repetitious "Rum Pum Pum" phrase throughout the book.  Preschoolers will love repeating the "Rum Pum Pum" line while the story is being read to them and love the rhymes as well. I believe school-age children (1st-3rd grades) will also be entertained by the story as they will wonder what happens next--will Blackbird's wife be rescued or will Blackbird and his friends be captured as well?

There are many full-page bright and colorful illustrations which are cartoon-like, similar to George O'Connor's work.  The media/technique of watercolor and pen and ink are very effective in following the storyline perfectly!  Children will love seeing Blackbird and the characters (cat, ants, stick and river) performing all sorts of humanistic feats!

Class Activities:

1. Have younger children make drums!  Let them use crayons/colored pencils to draw the characters on construction paper and tape them around a coffee can.  Then, let them parade around the room tapping on the plastic lid, saying the phrase "Rum Pum Pum, Rum Pum Pum, Rum Pum Pum Pum Pum!"  Then, have each child take turns telling their favorite part of the story.
2. Older children can be asked to make up a catchy rhyme about the characters in the story.  Also, tell them to bring in an object, food, clothing, etc., that represents their culture tomorrow and we'll talk about them.

Rum Pum Pum is a fun story to teach children about folklore, cooperating to get the job done and is very effective in teaching rhymes to them as well!

Other outstanding books by Maggie Duff:

• Dancing Turtle
• The Princess and the Pumpkin

Reference

Duff, M. (1978). Rum Pum Pum. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc.

ngry and begins a mission to find his wife.

 Throughout the story, meeting !   in India

Stellaluna

Stellaluna, written and illustrated by Janell Cannon is a wonderful narrative fantasy/adventure picturebook that teaches children a wonderful message about friendship and a mother's love.  The story begins with Stellaluna and Mother Bat flying one night in search of food, when an owl attacks them and knocks Stellaluna into a bird's nest where a mother bird and three little birds are resting.

Narrative Fantasy

The exciting storyline continues with Stellaluna acting like a bird to survive along with the baby birds attempting to act like Stellaluna as well! 

                                   

The adventures continue throughout the book and it concludes with Mother Bat seeing a bat hanging by its thumbs, rather than upside down, like all bats do!  Stellaluna tells her story about an owl attacking her and Mother Bat is most interested, smells her fur and realizes she has found her lost baby!  The ending is very touching with lovely words about friendship and being "different and the same" in many ways, but still able to be great friends.  The beautiful illustration below shows Stellaluna and her friends perched in the tree just how they are "supposed" to rest!!

This is an outstanding narrative fantasy book with very organized thoughts which will be enjoyed by children ranging from preschool to the early primary grades.  Personification is depicted throughout the book with the bats and birds talking and acting human and Mama bird even tells Stellaluna to "promise to obey all the rules of this house."  The author incorporated a wonderful simile into the storyline when the owl attacked and knocked Stellaluna in the nest--"Her baby wings were as limp and useless as wet paper."  Children will also enjoy many fun words, such as "Eeeek, Flump and Plop!" 

The story is full of beautiful and entertaining illustrations using the media/techniques--graphite/colored pencils and acrylics. The full-page detailed pictures so wonderfully enhance the text and children will love the softness, textured appearance and the characters' expressions and emotions! 

I so enjoyed this book and read it last week to a few 5-year-old children at our preschool and they absolutely loved it!  While reading the story, I had a great time changing my voice to "fit" the characters and had such fun saying all the super cute words like, "Eeeek and Flump!!" as the adventures unfolded. Also, at the end of the book, there is a great little "science" lesson--two pages of "Bat Notes" which tell children about bats; for instance, how many species there are (170!!), what they eat and where they live!  

Class Activities:

1. Talk about the part in the book when Stellaluna was embarrassed when she couldn't land gracefully on the branch like her baby bird friends.  Ask children to tell about a time when a friend could do something, but they couldn't and how that made them feel?  Give an example, saying that my one daughter could do her front walkover, but her twin sister could not and she felt sad and discouraged. However, with a lot of practice, the next week she could do the stunt as well as her sister!
2. Tell the children that Stellaluna was a "fruit bat" and they eat fruit, flowers and nectar and have a great sense of smell and outstanding night vision.  Place different types of fruit on a tray and blindfold the children, having them take turns smelling the fruit to see if they know what kind it is!

This award-winning, exciting book will be enjoyed by all and teach children about respecting each other for the varying capabilities, strengths and challenges and that everyone can be friends, even though we are all unique!

Other outstanding books by Janell Cannon:

• Little Yau: A Fuzzhead Tale
• Pinduli

Reference

Cannon, J. (1993). Stellaluna. New York: Harcourt Brace & Company.

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Charlotte's Web

Charlotte's Web was originally written by E. B. White in 1952 with this version renewed by him in 1980. This is a beautiful story about friendship, love and life between a young girl, Fern, a lovable, little pig, Wilbur and Charlotte, a large spider who lived in the barn with Wilbur.  It is an outstanding narrative fantasy book to be enjoyed by children of all ages!  Preschool teachers can read it to children and primary school-age children will love to read it on their own.  Even though this is a fantasy book, is a written with excellent quality as although it is unrealistic, the characters' feelings, thoughts and behaviors are very believable within the story and all readers will learn from the wonderful messages throughout the story!

Narrative Fantasy

The 47 very detailed black-and-white illustrations throughout the book are excellent with showing the characters' emotions and thoughts and they also describe the storyline so well!  The drawings remind me of the pen and ink work by Peter Sis.

Readers will feel many emotions throughout this book--happiness, sadness, helpfulness, loneliness and learning about the circle of life.  However, I believe children will most love the friendship shared by the characters, enabling them to learn about caring and helping one another, despite their differences.

I so loved this outstanding classic and it certainly represents and upholds the Saint Leo Core Value of Respect with its references to "learning, living, and working harmoniously."  Much of the story can also be related to stories in the Bible regarding miracles, sacrificial love, keeping promises and kindness.

As mentioned, this wonderful book will be enjoyed by all and, as always, if certain areas may be disturbing for younger children, the story can be modified to best fit the needs/interests of the age group.

Class Activities:

1. Briefly discuss the Saint Leo Core Value of Respect in an age-appropriate manner.  Then, ask each child to say something that they have done recently for a friend or family member that was "nice" (with the teacher beginning the activity by saying something she has done).  If a child does not want to participate, tell him/her that's fine and say we "respect and understand" that you may not want to tell us, but we'll come back to you.  If he/she still is hesitant, say you can just think about something nice you "can do" today for someone else.
2. Make up flash cards with words such as sad, happy, lonely, etc., and hand them out to the children. Then, ask each child to tell about a time when they felt that way and how someone helped them when they were feeling this way.  Next, ask the child to select someone in the classroom and have him/her tell the child how they would help them.  Give an example first, for instance, the teacher could say, "Tommy told me he was feeling lonely because his best friend moved away." Then, I would say, "You have so many friends here at school that love playing with you!  Let's play this ball game with Joey and Mary as they look like they need more friends to make the game more fun!" 

Charlotte's Web is a Newberry Honor Book and is classified as outstanding for all age groups.  I believe it is such an inspirational book and all children should read it during their school-age years based on the morale of the story.  All children will be able to relate to the characters and surely learn meaningful lessons and so enjoy the illustrations as an added benefit since they tremendously enhance the content of the storyline.

Other outstanding books by E. B. White:

• Stuart Little
• The Trumpet of the Swan

Reference

White, E. B. (1980). Charlotte's Web. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.

very detailed black-and-white illustrations are so appealing and excellent with showing the characters' emotions and feelings along with describing the storyline so well!  The illustrations are comparable to the pen and ink detailed drawings by Peter Sis.

Treasury of Children's Poetry

Treasury of Children's Poetry is an outstanding compilation of poems for children of all ages!  They can be read to very young children and older children will surely enjoy the more complex poems.  This book was edited by Alison Sage with poet, Michael Rosen, contributing the Foreword.  The content ranges from traditional nursery rhymes, poems by Grace Nichols and Michael Rosen for young children and poetry by Lewis Carroll and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow for older children.  The final section of the book features many classics by Shakespeare and Rudyard Kipling.  This wonderful book includes over 300 poems written by more than 170 poets with beautiful, fun and exciting illustrations by over 50 talented artists.  This is a great addition to the classroom library and will be so enjoyed by the entire family at home as well!

Poetry and Verse

Children of all ages will not only love reading the poetry, but they will be able to relate to the wide range of topics, thoughts, emotions, etc., expressed within the book.  Also, the subject-matter of many of the poems include cultural differences and various time periods which is so beneficial in teaching children about history and respect for one another with varying ethnic backgrounds.

I so enjoyed and loved this book and the illustrations were absolutely amazing!  Every possible media, technique and style of art are illustrated from simplistic graphic and pencil art to beautiful watercolor and oil paintings.  Many of the illustrations are so vivid and textured that you can actually "feel" the art and even visualize yourself in the scene! 

During Reading/Circle Time:

• Select an age-appropriate poem/nursery rhyme and read it to the children.  For example, if the children are toddlers (2-3 years old), the teacher should select one that they may be familiar with or can relate to, such as Hey Diddle Diddle or Humpty Dumpty.  Then, ask the children if they ever heard it before?  
• Ask the children to recite the nursery rhyme with you or recite the line after you read it, then praise them for being poets!

Class Activities:

1. Read the poem Shoes by John Foster.  Then, ask each child to describe the shoes they have on today--what color, do they have buckles or laces, are they best for cold or hot weather, etc.
2. Play a game with the children to help them learn the poem, sorting, cooperating with each other and practicing patience.  Have the children get into small groups depending on the type of shoes they have on--all children with laces, black shoes, new shoes, etc. Next, have them takes turns making up a silly poem or rhyme about their shoes! After each child is done, everyone applauds!!

This excellent poetry book will be enjoyed by students of all ages in the classroom and in the home as the poems are so diversified and geared to children from preschoolers to young adults--parents will so enjoy reading them as well!

Other outstanding books by by Alison Sage and Michael Rosen:

• Hutchinson Treasury of Children's Literature
• Quick, Let's Get Out of Here
• You Wait Till I'm Older Than You

Reference

Sage, A. (1998). Treasury of Children's Poetry. London: Hutchinson.