The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi

 The Name Jar - Kindle edition by Choi, Yangsook, Choi, Yangsook. Children Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi

  • Fiction 
  • Grade: Pre-K - 2nd
  • Awards: Arkansas Diamond Primary Book Master List 2003 

Summary: 

The Name Jar is a story about a young girl named Unhei who is going to school in America for the first time after moving from Korea. She is nervous about going to school especially after the kids on the bus make fun of her name. Unhei introduces herself to her class but tells them that she has not picked a name so they start a jar for her and fill it with American names. After much thought and a conversation with the store clerk, Unhei decides that she loves her own name especially because it means grace. Unhei makes a friend in the story named Joey who takes the jar of names because he learns Unhei's real name and thinks it's beautiful. The story ends as Unhei introduces herself to the class and teaches them her real name, and Joey chooses a Korean nickname which means friend. 

Evaluation:

I would use this book in my classroom. This book is the appropriate reading level for second-graders so the students will be able to decode and comprehend the story. The Name Jar would be great for a unit in language arts and reading. This book encourages diversity and students from different backgrounds will be able to relate to the characters and form connections. The story of Unhei is inspirational for children because they may be nervous about going to school for different reasons but Unhei's story teaches children that everyone is unique and that should be celebrated. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saving Winslow by Sharon Creech

Image
  Saving Winslow by Sharon Creech Fiction Grades: 3rd - 5th Awards: Bluebonnet 2019-2020 Summary: Saving Winslow is a story about a boy named Louis and a newborn donkey named Winslow. One day, Louis' father brought Winslow home and Louis developed a deep connection with the donkey. Winslow was small and sickly and Louis did not have the best record for nurturing little animals, but he was determined to help Winslow survive. Louis began to form a deep connection with Winslow which distracted him from missing his brother who was serving in the army. Louis' neighbor, Nora, also deeply cares for Winslow, but she has suffered the loss of her baby brother and dog so she does not have faith that the sick donkey will survive. Winslow grows stronger and even gets in trouble for braying loudly until everyone discovers he was trying to bring attention to the crying baby. Winslow becomes ready to go back to Louis' uncle Pete's farm, but Louis doesn't want him to go. An animal c
Read more

Music Everywhere! by Maya Ajmera, Elise Hofer Derstine, & Cynthia Pon

Image
  Music Everywhere! by Maya Ajmera, Elise Hofer Derstine, & Cynthia Pon  Nonfiction Grades: Pre-K - Kindergarten, 1st & 2nd Awards: None Summary: Music Everywhere! is a book about children who love music. The children make music by stomping, clapping, singing, and clapping. The children make music using lots of different instruments. The instruments are played in many ways like shaking, whistling, strumming, and thumping. The children think it's fun to play and perform and they can use music to show different moods. The children can play music in school, at home, or in their neighborhoods. The book ends by saying music brings people all over the world together and the children love it. Evaluation: Music Everywhere! would be a fun book to use in my classroom. This is an informational book on the Humanities. Music Everywhere! focuses on music and would be great for engaging students’ curiosity on the topic. This book provides a brief text with uncomplicated illustrations th
Read more

Feathers for Lunch by Lois Ehlert

Image
  Feathers for Lunch by Lois Ehlert  Poetry  Grades: Pre-K - K, 1st - 2nd  Awards: A Horn Book Fanfare List Selection, An IRA-CBC Teacher’s Choice, and A Redbook Children’s Picturebook Award Winner Summary:     Feathers for Lunch is an example of narrative poetry. This poem tells the story of a mischievous cat that escapes his house. He goes on the hunt for a wild lunch. The cat prowls the streets for different birds like the American Robin, Blue Jay, House Wren, and many more. The birds whistle a warning to each other and escape the cat’s clutches by flying away. All the cat catches are feathers for lunch. Evaluation:      I would use Feathers for Lunch in my classroom because this book meets the criteria for a good poem. The illustrations reflect the content of the piece which can be seen through the depictions of the birds flying high in the trees and communicating with one another through whistles and chirping as they narrowly escape the cat’s claw. In addition, this poem gives ch
Read more