Zara's Blog

  Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match / Marisol Mcdonald no combina by Monica Brown & Illustrated by Sara Palacios  Fiction Grade: 1st - 3rd Awards: Notable Children's Books 2012 Summary: Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match is a book about a young first-grader named Marisol. She is known for not being able to match. Marisol's cousin points out that her brown skin doesn't match her red hair, Marisol's brother complains that her pants and shirt clash, and Marisol even likes mixing her Spanish and English when speaking. At school, Marisol's teacher scolds her for mixing her print and cursive writing and her friends don't want to mix soccer and pirates on the playground. One day, Marisol decides to match but recess isn't fun, her sandwich is mushy, and the class is boring. The teacher notices a change in Marisol so she writes a note telling Marisol that she is perfect the way she is. This makes Marisol happy because she realizes that it's okay to be hersel...

  All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold & illustrated by Suzanne Kaufman Fiction Grade: Pre-K - 2nd  Awards: New York Times best-selling picture book Summary: All Are Welcome is a book about students at school. The book begins by showing students who may start their day in prayer or wear different things on the playground and saying that everyone is welcome at school. Next, the book depicts the children pointing at a map and says that all are welcome no matter where the students are from. Then,  All Are Welcome talks about how children can make music, create art, and read stories together. The students play side by side at the playground. Everyone even has unique gifts and talents which may be different from their friends. The story ends by saying that everyone feels safe and welcome at school and the students can't wait to go back the next day.  Evaluation: This is a really fun story that I would use in my classroom because it has a great message and will ge...

  The Colors of Us by Karen Katz  Fiction Grade: Pre-K - 2nd Awards: None Summary: The Colors of Us  is a story about a young seven-year-old from Guatemala.  To accurately draw a self-portrait, Lena's mother tells her to mix the colors to create the right brown. This confuses Lena because she thinks brown is brown. Lena's mother takes her for a walk around the neighborhood to show her that people of color can be very unique. Around the neighborhood, Lena sees her friends, Sonia, who is a light yellow-brown color like cinnamon, Isabella who has a chocolate brown skin color like cupcakes, Lucy who is peachy and tan, Jo-Jin who skin is like the color of honey, and many more friends and family of different backgrounds. At the end of the story, Lena goes back to her canvas and paints everyone from the walk and all their difference which are beautiful. She proudly shows her mom her work and calls it "the colors of us".   Evaluation: The Colors of Us would be a gr...

  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...

Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall  Historical Fiction Grades: Kindergarten - 3rd Awards: 2019 Caldecott Medal winner Summary:  Hello Lighthouse is a story about a lighthouse and its keeper. The new keeper replaces the old one and tends to the beam. Next, the keeper gets lonely and writes a letter every few days. Then, the tender that brings rice and beans also brings his wife. The lighthouse keeper is taken care of his wife when he gets ill and she makes sure the bell rings to alert sailors. Later, the happy couple has a baby. Eventually, the coastguard sends a letter and comes replaces the light with a new machine to run it so the keeper's family moves out.  The story ends by saying the lighthouse is built to last forever as the beam reaches the land.  Evaluation: I think this would be a really fun book to use in my classroom. It gives students an idea of what it would be like to live in a time where lighthouses and keepers were essential for sailors to be safe. T...

  The Way To Start A Day by Byrd Baylor & Illustrated by Peter Parnall Poetry Grade: Kindergarten - 2nd  Awards: 1979 Caldecott Honor Award Summary: The Way To Start A Day is a book about different people and how they celebrate the sunrise or dawn. The book starts by saying the way to start a day is to face the sun and say a blessing. It goes on to mention the cavemen and women that sang as the sun comes up. Next, the story talks about the chants lifted from the people of Peru and Aztecs playing music in Mexico. As the sun rises, blessings rise over Pueblo cornfields, songs rise through Africa, prayers rise through Japan, and people in Arizona hold their babies towards the sun. The book ends by saying people all over welcome the sun and they should watch as it changes color.  Evaluation:   I would use this book in my classroom because it has really stunning award-winning illustrations. The bright illustrations are attention-grabbing for children. This book i...

  In My Mother's House by Ann Nolan Clark & Illustrated Velino Herrera Poetry Grade: 1st & 2nd  Awards: 1942 Caldecott Honor Book Summary: In My Mother's House is a collection of poems about being a Pueblo Indian. The book begins by describing how much work and time the child's mother and father put into hand-making their house. It goes on to talk about the plaza full of people working and tending to the crops. The next poems are about protecting the land, the rivers that run through it, and the heart that holds the place together. The young child describes his abundance of horses and how they bring wagons full of corn. The final poems are about the juniper trees, wild plants, Indian tree flowers, yucca, and more growing things. The final poem says that the pueblo, the people, the fire, the fields, the water, the land, and the animals make the place feel like home.  Evaluation: I would use this book in my classroom because it is the appropriate reading level for t...