Zara's Blog

   Mailing May by Michael O’ Tunnel & illustrated by Ted Rand  Historical Fiction Grades: Pre-K-Kindergarten, 1st & 2nd Awards: Notable Children’s Books 1998 Summary: Charlotte May Pierstorff’s parents promise her she can go visit her Grandma Mary who lives 75 miles away across the Idaho mountains. When May wants to go see her grandma, her parents say it’s too expensive because a train ticket would cost a full day’s work. The next day, May visits Alexander’s Department Store and asks for a job but he says there are only grown-up jobs available. May’s parents wake her up early one morning and she leaves with her father. May’s father has a brilliant idea to mail her as a package because she is under 50 lbs. Leonard, the mail carrier made sure May stayed safe on the train with the other packages. The story ends as May made it safely to her grandmother’s house and she is happy because her parents kept their promise.  Evaluation: This book would be an excellent ch...

  Queen Victoria’s Bathing Machine by Gloria Whelan & illustrated by Nancy Carpenter Historical Fiction Grades: Kindergarten - 3rd Awards: None  Summary: Queen Victoria’s Bathing Machine is a book about a queen who wants to go for a swim in the ocean. The queen’s lady in waiting informs her that it would be preposterous to consider showing more than her hands and her face. Prince Albert devises a way to help Queen Victoria get to the ocean without anyone seeing her, but Queen Victoria fears his catapult idea will fry her to a crisp. Then, Prince Albert has a better idea and spends time devising and building Queen Victoria a bathing machine. This machine allows Queen Victoria to change and swim in the ocean without being seen except by two sailors who thought she was a flatboat or a skiff. At the end of the story, Queen Victoria returns happily to her prince because she does not know of the sailors so she thinks the bathing machine was a grand success.  Evaluation: I t...

  Drum Dream Girl by Margarita Engle & illustrated by Rafael Lopez Historical Fiction Grades: Pre-K-Kindergarten, 1st & 2nd Awards: Pura Belpré Award 2016   Summary:   Drum Dream Girl is a book about a girl who lives on an island. She dreams of playing conga drums, bongo drums, and timbales. Unfortunately, everyone on the island believed only boys could play drums. The drum dream girl dreamed of drumming and played in secret. She wanted to join her sister’s all-girl band but her father said no because only boys play drums, so the dream girl kept dreaming. After much consideration, her father allowed her to go to a music teacher to see if she could play drums well enough to be heard and the teacher agreed to teach her. After practicing and practicing, the drum dream girl finally got to play drums while her friends and family danced and everyone decided that girls could play drums too.   Evaluation Drum Dream Girl is a historical fiction book that I would use ...

  If A Bus Could Talk by Faith Ringgold Historical Fiction Grades: Pre-K-Kindergarten, 1st & 2nd Awards: NAACP Image Award For Outstanding Children’s Literary Work - Children’s  Summary: If A Bus Could Talk is a book from the perspective of the bus that carried Rosa Parks. One day a young girl is on her way to school but an unfamiliar bus is at her usual stop and she gets on it. The young girl, Marcie, does not see a bus driver, and then she hears a voice but none of the passengers are talking to her. It was the bus! The bus explains to Marcie that she is on the  Cleveland Avenue Bus which is now the Rosa Parks Bus. The Bus tells the story of Rosa Parks, her family history, education, and how she refused to give up her seat on the bus. The bus explains that they are celebrating Rosa Parks' birthday and her many accomplishments in her struggle for equal rights. The book ends after Marcie meets Rosa Parks and gets off the bus excited to tell her class about what she lea...

  The Gardener by Sarah Steward & illustrated by David Small  Historical Fiction Grades: Pre-K-Kindergarten, 1st & 2nd Awards: 1998 Caldecott Honor Book Summary: The Gardener by Sarah Steward is a book about a young girl, Lydia Grace, who leaves her mama, papa, and grandma to move in with her uncle until things at home get better. In her letters to her uncle, Lydia Grace mentions that her papa lost his job and her mama does not have any customers asking her to make dresses. Throughout the story, Lydia Grace writes letters to her grandma about how thankful she is for the seeds and bulbs she can garden with, how she taught Emma, one of her uncle’s friends/ workers, to speak Latin while learning how to knead bread, and how she’s working on her secret garden which she hopes can make her uncle finally smile. At the end of the story, Lydia Grace’s uncle receives a letter that her papa got a new job and she can finally go home. Evaluation: I would use this book in my classro...

  The Very Impatient Caterpilla r by Ross Burach  Audio Book Grades: Pre-K - Kindergarten, 1st & 2nd Awards: None Summary: The Very Impatient Caterpilla r is a story about a group of caterpillars that are going through the process of metamorphosis. The little caterpillar asks constant questions about how to metamorphosize and how long it takes. When the other caterpillars tell him it takes two weeks, he does not think he can wait that long. He gets hungry and bored in his chrysalis. After the first day, he tries to fly but has no wings. The little caterpillar learns the art of patience and hatches as a beautiful butterfly after two weeks. The little caterpillar migrates with his friends and asks “are we there yet” so maybe he still needs some practice with patience.   Evaluation: I would use this book in my classroom because it is appropriate for younger children such as second-graders and it teaches about the process of metamorphosis which might interest my st...

  Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes  Contemporary Realistic Fiction  Grades: Pre-K - Kinder, 1st & 2nd Awards: American Booksellers Book of the Year Award, California Great Reads Award, ALA Notable Children’s Book Summary:  In this book, Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, Lilly the mouse loves going to school. Her favorite part of school is her teacher because he is very smart and greets the students with “howdy”. Lilly loves drawing and writing stories and she decides she wants to become a teacher. One day, Lilly gets a new flashy purse and shiny quarters that she wants to share with the class but her teacher says no. This makes Lilly angry and she writes a very mean note and hides it in her teacher's bag. She claims she no longer wants to be a teacher. Lilly’s teacher returns the stuff that he confiscated from her and leaves her a note that says she will have a better day tomorrow. This makes Lilly feel bad so she tells her parents what happened and wr...

  Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress by Christine Bladacchino & illustrated by Isabelle Malenfant  Contemporary Realistic Fiction Grades: Pre-K - Kinder, 1st & 2nd Awards: Stonewall Honor recipient, CBC Bookie Award for Best Picture Book Summary: Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress is a book about a boy named Morris who loves going to school and his favorite part is the dress-up center. Morris likes the swish and crinkle of the dress, but the boys and girls make fun of him. Morris’s classmates exclude him from playing with them because he’s wearing the dress. Morris pretends to be sick so he can skip school and avoid the mean kids. After a day of reading and puzzles, Morris had a dream about elephants and he woke up and painted his dream. When Morris went back to school, he wore the dress because he liked it and he created his own spaceship because the boys still wouldn't let him play. Later, the boys saw his painting and decided to explore space with ...

  My Dad by Anthony Browne  Contemporary Realistic Fiction Grades: Pre-K- Kinder, 1st Awards: None Summary: My Dad is told from the perspective of a young boy. The young boy exalts his dad saying his dad is fearless, can walk tightropes, wrestle giants, and win races. He goes on to compare his dad to animals saying he can eat like a horse and is as strong as a gorilla. The young boy describes his father’s physical features as soft as a teddy bear. Furthermore, the son says his father is talented at football and making him laugh. The story concludes by saying that the son and father love each other.   Evaluation:  My Dad by Anthony Brown is an example of realistic fiction because it portrays a story with actual people; however, these people act like animals. Young children can connect to this story because it discusses a boy and his father who love each other. Children would enjoy reading this story because it isn’t preachy but it does talk about loving one another...

  From There to Here by Laurel Croza & illustrated by Matt James Contemporary Realistic Fiction Grades: Pre-K - 2nd Awards: Cooperative Children's Book Centre Choices, CBC Radio / The Next Chapter, Summer Reading List for Kids Summary: From There to Here is a book about a little girl who moves with her family. She compares the old town with her new city and expresses the many differences. The illustrations are elaborate and the young girl does not seem thrilled about leaving Saskatoon or traveling by train. The young girl describes the changes in the new city including her father not coming home for lunch anymore, the lack of birch trees, the streetlights that now replace the stars from her old town, and her brother finding new friends. All these things deter the young girl from this new city until one day another young girl named Anne, who is the same age, knocks on the door and invites her bike riding. The young girl is happy to have a new friend and decides that the new cit...

  Mama’s Nightingale by Edwidge Danticat & illustrated by Leslie Staub Contemporary Realistic Fiction Grades: Pre-K-Kinder, 1st & 2nd Awards: None Summary: Mama’s Nightingale is a story about a family who is separated because immigration services detained the mother at a correctional facility. The father spends his time writing letters to the jail, congress, and newspapers to spread the story about what’s happening to his wife. No one responds. The young girl, Saya, nicknamed Wosiyol after nightingales in Haiti, receives stories from her mother which she reads each night. Weekly, Saya and her father visit her mother, but Saya screams when she has to leave, so the guard says that Saya shouldn’t return. Eventually, Saya decided to write a story of her own and a reporter released it through the media. This story draws so much attention that people write letters to jail and finally, Saya’s mother gets to come home while waiting for papers. The book ends with Wosiyol’s mom telli...

  Carl Goes Shopping by Alexandra Day Fantasy  Grades: Pre-K - Kindergarten Awards: None Summary: Carl Goes Shopping by Alexandra Day is the story of a mom who leaves her baby with Carl, the dog, when she goes shopping for curtains. Carl takes the baby shopping in the toy section, reading in the book section, dressing up in the clothes section, and even to be on tv in the electronic section. Carl and the baby eat dog treats in the fine food section and visit other animals in the pet section but they race back downstairs before the mom returns. When she sees Carl and the baby waiting for her, she thinks they have been there the whole time and says, “Good dog, Carl”.  Evaluation: Carl Goes Shopping by Alexandra Day is an example of fantasy because the setting is unique and imaginative as Carl and the baby explore the different departments of a store. It is also fantasy because a dog would never take a baby shopping in the real world. Carl Goes Shopping by Alexandra Day is ...

  Little Pink Pig by Pat Hutchins   (Animal) Fantasy  Grade: Pre-K - Kindergarten  Awards: A Trophy Picture Book Summary: Little Pink Pig b y Pat Hutchins is a story about a little pink pig and his mother. It’s time for the little pink pig to go to bed but his mother can’t find him. Throughout the book, the little pink pig’s mom travels throughout the farm from animal to animal and asks if they’ve seen little pink pig. Each animal calls out to him with a “neigh” or a “moo” or other various sounds but the little pink pig does not hear them. The little pink pig calls out to his mother to wait but she cannot hear him either. At the end of the story, all the animals call out to the little pink pig and he is finally found so his mother can put him to bed. Evaluation: I would not use Little Pink Pig in my classroom because the reading level of Pre-K is not standard for second grade. Little Pink Pig by Pat Hutchins has really detailed illustrations and the creativ...

  Imogene’s Antlers by David Small Fantasy  Grade: 1st - 3rd Awards: A Parent’s Choice Award Book for Literature Summary: Imogene’s Antlers by David Small is a story about a young girl who grows a pair of antlers overnight. Imogene’s doctor and the principal had no solution to her problem. Imogene’s mother was not pleased with the antlers and she fainted multiple times. Throughout the story, Imogene uses her antlers to dry some towels and feeds the birds doughnuts until she is forced to wear a hat. Finally, Imogene fell asleep and woke up the next morning without antlers. Her family was overjoyed… until they saw her peacock feathers.   Evaluation: Imogene’s Antlers by David Small is a valuable story for children because it provides children with the opportunity to explore a “what if” scenario. A child growing antlers overnight is outside the realm of possibility and an example of a strange situation. I would read and use this book in my class because Imogene’s day is...

  Apple Trouble! by Ragnhild Scamell & illustrated by Michael Terry  (Animal) Fantasy  Grades: Pre-K-K, 1st & 2nd Awards: None Summary:  Apple Trouble! by Ragnhild Scamell is a story about a hedgehog who is preparing to hibernate for winter in her nest when a juicy red apple falls on top of her. Throughout the story, the hedgehog meets different animals that try to help her remove the apple but instead make it worse. The squirrel tried to push the apple off and dropped his nuts on her, the pig suggested she roll on her back but a pear got stuck to her, and the frog recommended she wash her back off in the lake but a pink water lily stuck to her. More and more animal friends tried to help but the number of fruits and nuts kept increasing until the hedgehog ran into a goat. He ate everything off of her except one crumpled leaf and finally the hedgehog could sleep in her nest.   Evaluation: Apple Trouble! by Ragnhild Scamell is a great example of fanta...