The method and reason behind the madness...

The selections: Mainly, I have chosen books that were recommended during my "Transacting with Literature" class taught by Dr. Wooten at the University of TN. Some of these books were recommended by Dr. Wooten and some were introduced to me by my fabulous classmates. Additionally, some of the books were added to my database because I just love the book. Many of my entries are formatted in the annotated bibliography format in order to meet the requirements for the aforementioned class. However, many of my entries were made and labeled purely for my own convenience. How this page works: You can search by searching keywords in the top left hand corner of the page. You type in words that might relate to something you are studying or reading about and the blog will spit out the books that are labeled with those keywords. For example, WWII, give it a try. Also, you can click on the labels on the right hand side of the page or the bottom of each blog to find similar or related books. My goal: I hope to be able to add to this electronic database every time a friend recommends a book. Eventually, I would love to be able to type a key word into my search and pull a list of books to meet my needs. My request: If you are visiting this site and you can think of some books I must read, please send me an email and let me know. I'll create an entry for the book and label it appropriately to work with my other entries.
Showing posts with label 2004. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2004. Show all posts

A Shelter in Our Car


Gunning, Monica. (2004). A Shelter in Our Car. Illustrated by Elaine Pedlar. Children's Book Press.

This moving story follows the story of a little girl and her mother who are struggling to get by after having moved to America from Jamaica. After the recent death of little girl's father, they have found their circumstances a little more difficult than they had originally planned for.

This is a great story to help children understand more about immigration and homelessness.
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The Hundred Dresses



Estes, Eleanor. (2004) The Hundred Dresses. Illustrated by Louis Slobodkin. Sandpiper.


Amazon.com ReviewWanda Petronski lives way up in shabby Boggins Heights, and she doesn't have any friends. Every day she wears a faded blue dress, which wouldn't be too much of a problem if she didn't tell her schoolmates that she had a hundred dresses at home--all silk, all colors, and velvet, too. This lie--albeit understandable in light of her dress-obsessed circle--precipitates peals of laughter from her peers, and she never hears the end of it. One day, after Wanda has been absent from school for a few days, the teacher receives a note from Wanda's father, a Polish immigrant: "Dear teacher: My Wanda will not come to your school any more. Jake also. Now we move away to big city. No more holler Polack. No more ask why funny name. Plenty of funny names in the big city. Yours truly, Jan Petronski."
Maddie, a girl who had stood by while Wanda was taunted about her dresses, feels sick inside: "True, she had not enjoyed listening to Peggy ask Wanda how many dresses she had in her closet, but she had said nothing.... She was a coward.... She had helped to make someone so unhappy that she had had to move away from town." Repentant, Maddie and her friend Peggy head up to Boggins Heights to see if the Petronskis are still there. When they discover the house is empty, Maddie despairs: "Nothing would ever seem good to her again, because just when she was about to enjoy something--like going for a hike with Peggy to look for bayberries or sliding down Barley Hill--she'd bump right smack into the thought that she had made Wanda Petronski move away." Ouch. This gentle Newbery Honor Book convincingly captures the deeply felt moral dilemmas of childhood, equally poignant for the teased or the tormentor. Louis Slobodkin, illustrator of the 1944 Caldecott Medalist Many Moons, brings his wispy, evocative, color-washed sketches to Eleanor Estes's time-proven classic about kindness, compassion, and standing up for what's right. (Ages 6 and older) --Karin Snelson --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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A Big Cheese for the White House


Fleming, Candace. (2004) A Big Cheese for the White House; A True Tale of a Tremendous Cheddar. Illustrated by S.D. Schindler. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
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Survivors; True Stories of Children in the Holocaust


Zullo, A. & Bovsun, M. (2004) Survivors: True Stories of Children in the Holocaust. New York: NY. Scholastic Inc.

This book is a captivating account of nine children who lived through the terror of the Holocaust. The author provides a glossary in the back to help with words that might be unfamiliar to the reader. Although the recommended ages for this book are 9-12, many who reviewed the book believed that it might be a little mature for the 9-10 year old children. As always, be sure to read this book before introducing it to your own classroom.

This book can be purchased by clicking the picture above or the link below:
http://www.amazon.com/Survivors-True-Stories-Children-Holocaust/dp/0439669960/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238093406&sr=1-1
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I Wanna Iguana


Kaufman, K. (2004) I Wanna Iguana. Illustrated by David Catrow. New York: NY. G.P. Putnam's Sons.

This delightful picture book follows the written exchange between a boy and his mother. The little boy really wants a pet and what follows is a humorous exchange between the mother and son.

This book is beautifully illustrated and fun to read.


*Pets
*Letter Writing
*Iguanas
*Baby Brother

HERE is another website that offers curriculum connections to this book:
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Where the Sidewalk Ends


Silverstein, S. (2004) Where the Sidewalk Ends. New York: NY. Harper Collins Publishers.


This incredible collection of poems from one of America's favorite poets is sure to delight and enthrall the young and old alike. The words are perfect, the illustrations are amusing and the familiarity is comforting.


I could see myself using a different Shel Silverstein poem everyday to put a smile on the faces of my students. One of the many poems in this collection that moves me is the following:


Don't Tell Me


Please don't tell me I should hug,

Don't tell me I should care.

Don't tell me just how grand I'd feel

If I just learned to share.

Don't say, "It's all right to cry,"

"Be kind," "Be fair," "Be true."

Just le me see YOU do it,

Then I might just do it too.


You can purchase this incredible collection of poetry by clicking the picture above or the link below:


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