Different Just Like Me

Author/Illustrator: Lori Mitchell

About the Author:
http://www.differentjustlikeme.cc/families_text.html
Mitchell grew up in Redondo Beach, California and her older sisters are also artists. She’s been teaching art since 1996 at elementary schools, high school, college and private school. She teaches students from age 8 to past 80. She graduated from Art Center College of Design with a BA in Illustration which she has used to illustrate 9 books including Different Just Like Me.

Genre: Fiction

Grade Level: K-2
Theme: Differences

Synopsis:
This book is about this little girl who does different things during the week with her mother while waiting to see her Grammie at the end of the week. She sees two kids her age that used sign language to communicate with each other, she saw people in the market, a woman who used braille to figure out where to go, a man who enjoyed eating the same lunch as her, a person in a wheelchair, and many others who do things JUST LIKE HER.  Finally she gets to her Grammie's house and sees all the flowers she has around.  Each one of them is different and she cannot decide which one she likes best.  Her Grammie tells her that it is okay to like them all and not have a favorite.  Before she leaves her Grammie's house, her Grammie gives her a bunch of flowers to take with her. The flowers made her think of all the people she had seen that week and how even though the flowers are all different from each other, they are all great and that goes with people in the world. Everyone is different...just like her!


Pre Reading Activity:

Activity:
Have students brainstorm how people are different. Explain to the students what sign language and Braille are.

Post Reading Activity:

Activity:
After reading the story, let the students get to feel the numbers in Braille in the story and teach them the letters in sign language that are in the book as well.  This will help the students understand that some people communicate differently than others.  Some may not be able to talk but others may not be able to see and each needs different things to help them!

Reflection:

I think this is a great book to use because it allows students to see how all people are different just like them.  They may do the same things as them but in a way people need help with different things or speak different languages.  It also allows them to see the letters in sign language as well as the numbers one to five and how they look and feel using Braille. I think that is a great idea to get students familiar with what other people use so they know when they see it again in the community!

Together

Author/Illustrator: George Ella Lyon/Vera Rosenberry

About the Author:
http://www.georgeellalyon.com/
Lyon grew up in Kentucky.  She loved  words, climbing trees, bike riding, singing, her family, stories, and school. She lived with her parents and older brother.  She started writing poems in third grade, and also took piano and voice lessons and played flute in the junior band.  But in eighth grade she decided she wanted to play the guitar. She attended Centre College of Kentucky, ands studied music and English. It was there she met musician and writer, Steve Lyon. whom she married and has to children, Benn and Joey.  After she went to graduate school and began a life of teaching, writing, and raising a family.

Genre: Fiction

Grade Level: K-2
Theme: Working together


Synopsis:
This book is about how people can work together to get things done.  It talks about how two people can work together to play a game of ball by one person getting the ball and the other getting the team together.  It discusses how two people can sail a boat by one person painting the boat and the other setting the sail.  In the end if they put their heads together they can dream the same dream!


Pre Reading Activity:

Activity:
Ask the students what they like to do with other people.  Have them draw a picture of something they like to do with a friend.

Post Reading Activity:

Activity:
After reading the story, have students tell you what their dreams are.  Have them illustrate their dreams on cut out clouds provided by the teacher and then hang the clouds in the hallway next to each other to make one big thought bubble with tiny bubbles leading to the giant thought bubble of dreams!

Reflection:

I think this is a great book to use because it allows students to see how people work together and that they can do the same.  Everyone has different dreams and some may be similar to others but in order to fulfill our dreams, sometimes we have to work together with other people!

Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type

Author/Illustrator: Doreen Cronin/Betsy Lewin

About the Author:
http://www.doreencronin.com/www.doreencronin.com/Home.html
Doreen was born in NY and grew up in Long Island with her parents, two brothers and sister in a red house.  Her first grade teacher introduced her to writing and she loved it.  She graduated from Penn State in 1988 and St. John's University School of Law in 1998. Her book Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type, was published when she was practicing law in Manhattan but quickly left her job as an attorney to stick to writing and thanks her first grade teacher for that!

Genre: Fiction, Caldecott Honor Book

Grade Level: K-1
Theme: Typing

Synopsis:

This book is about cows on a farm that know how to type.  They send messages to Farmer Brown about wanting electric blankets because the barn is too cold.  When the farmer tells them no they go on strike and do not produce milk.  The farmer gets angry and the next note he receives is that the hens want blankets too.  He says no again and the hens go on strike and will not give him eggs.  They reach an agreement by having the cows hand over the typewriter as long as they and the hens get electric blankets.  The farmer agrees and the cows are to send the typewriter back with the duck.  The duck in turn writes his own note to the farmer requesting a diving board for their pond because it was boring!

Pre Reading Activity:

Activity:
Ask the students if they have ever seen or used a typewriter.  Bring a typewriter in to share with the class.  Have them become familiar with it and explain how to use it.

Post Reading Activity:

Activity:
After reading the story, have students choose an animal they would want to be on Farmer Brown's farm and use the typewriter, with your help, to write their own note about something they would request from Farmer Brown! 

Reflection:

I think this is a great book to use because it is kid-friendly and funny as well.  You can have the students imagine how silly it would be for ducks to use a diving board and cows and hens to have electric blankets.  It is a cute book to share with kids because you can also introduce them to a typewriter as well as typing on a computer.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

Author/Illustrator: Bill Martin Jr./Eric Carle

About the Author:

http://www.billmartinjr.com/bill_martin
Bill Martin wrote for almost 60 years and published his first book called The Little Squeegy Bug -- The Story of the Firefly in 1945. He is the famous author of the classic Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?, and many others. Martin passed away in 2004 but he will always be considered "America's favorite children's author!"

Genre: Fiction, Science

Grade Level: K-1
Theme: Animals, Colors

Synopsis:

This book is about different animals and what they see as well as learning about different colors.  The book includes a bear, a bird, a duck, a horse, a frog, a car, a dog, a sheep, a goldfish for animals but it also includes a teacher and children so when children read this book, they can see they are included.

Pre Reading Activity:

Activity:
Ask the students if they have ever read or have seen this book before.  If they haven't ask them to tell you what they see around the classroom.  If they have ask them if they notice any patterns in the book!

Post Reading Activity:

Activity:
After reading the story, create a graph with the class about the different characters in the story.  Have the children name off each of the characters in the story and use this to make a bar graph.  Use the colors from the story, (brown, red, yellow, blue, green, purple, white, black, and gold), and have these colors correspond to the construction paper each child will choose based on which was their favorite character.  They will then write their names on the construction paper color they chose and place it on the graph according to the animal it matched.  After the graph is finished, you can ask questions to engage them in thinking mathematically about which animal did students like the most, which had more, the Red Bird or the Blue Horse, which had less, the Brown Bear of the Purple Cat, etc. and have them use the graph to help them answer the questions.

Reflection:

I think this is a great book to use because it repeats and students will easily be able to continue the phrase starting with "Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see?" to "children, children, what do you see?"  This helps them listen to the story and get a better understanding of what they are reading.  I wish they could have had the colors match the actual color of the animal, but it shows the students different colors and animals they see in everyday life.  It is also a good book to use to introduce colors and there are multiple activites you can do after reading this book to make students familiar with colors.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

Author/Illustrator: Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault/Lois Ehlert

About the Author:

http://www.billmartinjr.com/bill_martin

Bill Martin wrote for almost 60 years and published his first book called The Little Squeegy Bug -- The Story of the Firefly in 1945.  He is the famous author of the classic Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?, and many others.  Martin passed away in 2004 but he will always be considered "America's favorite children's author!"
http://www.johnarchambault.com/
John Archambault wrote this book and dedicated it to his son Arie Alexander Archambault when he was considered to be the "new baby boom boom."  Archambault is a modern day alchemist and is developing a series of Big Books for Childcraft Education Corporation.  These books will incorporate musical CDs with read-aloud and sing-along styles to aid in developing fluency and associations with print for early readers.  This will also make it fun and effective to listen and sing along.  Some of these will include I Love the Mountains, Turtle Song, Grandmother's Garden, The Birth of a Whale, and many others.

Genre: Fiction, English

Grade Level: K-1
Theme: The alphabet

Synopsis:

This book is about all the letters of the alphabet trying to make it up a coconut tree.  All the letters unfortunately fall out because there are too many in the tree and some are injured but in the end letter A dares everyone to climb up again!

Pre Reading Activity:

Activity:

Ask the students to write down the alphabet in their journals to see if they know it.  Then say the alphabet together to get them familiar with the letters before reading the book.

Post Reading Activity:

Activity:
After reading the story, have the students make their own coconut tree using the letters in their name!  Remember to tell them that the letters can be jumbled around the tree but they have to make sure they can tell what their name is! You can use brown construction paper to create a trunk with black X's going down the trunk, brown construction paper to create the coconuts, and green construction paper to make 4 leaves by rounding them at the ends so they look like an elongated oval.  You will also need foam letters or sticker letters for the children to use. 

Reflection:

I think this is a great book to use because it rhymes and repeats and students will easily be able to say the famous phrase "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom will there be enough room?"  They will have fun learning the alphabet in a creative way and be able to create their own coconut trees using different letters or even their names!

The Berenstain Bears' Moving Day

Author/Illustrator: Stan & Jan Berenstain

About the Author:

http://www.berenstainbears.com/

Stan and Jan Berenstain met in an art school in Philadelphia. They became good friends and when World War II began Stan went into the Army. After 3 years he returned and they married shortly after. They introduced their first Berenstain Bears book in 1962 and this book, New Baby, came in 1974 where Smal Bear becomes Brother Bear. They had two children, Leo and Michael, and Michael has become a writer/illustrator on his own and decided to join his parents in the 1980s. They Berenstain Bears books became a popular tv series as well. The Berenstain Bears are also on display in many children's museum exhibits including a permanent one at the Stong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York. Unfortunately, Stan passed away in November, 2005 at age 82. However, Jan and her son Mike, continue to write and illustrat Berenstain Bears books in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. They consider this a beautiful region that looks like Berenstain Bear Country.

Genre: Fiction

Grade Level: K-2
Theme: New Adventures/Beginnings

Synopsis:

This book is about the Bear family moving from their cave to their new tree house in Bear Country.  It talks about how it is getting harder for Mama Bear to grow vegetables on the mountainside and the trees Papa Bear needed were starting to diminish in number and it was time to move.  Brother Bear was nervous they would have to leave all his things behind but they packed them up to bring with them.  He was upset he could not bring his friends but his parents assured him that he would make new friends and he would still be able to keep in touch with his old friends.  Sure enough when they arrive at their new home, their neighbors arrived with gifts to welcome them.

Pre Reading Activity:

Activity:

Have each student share with the class if they have ever moved to a different house.  If so, have them share what it was like for them.

Post Reading Activity:

Activity:
After reading the story, have students write in their journals what they would make sure would be packed to take to a new house if they ever had to move!  They can also talk about what it would be like if they had to change schools and be the new kid in school!

Reflection:

I think this is a great book to use because it has students think of what they would need/want to bring when they move into a new house.  They would also be able to share what they would have to leave behind and how they could keep in touch with friends they already have.  They could also branch out and say what they think it would be like if they were the new kid in school.

The Berenstain Bears' New Baby

Author/Illustrator:  Stan & Jan Berenstain

About the Author:

http://www.berenstainbears.com/

Stan and Jan Berenstain met in an art school in Philadelphia.  They became good friends and when World War II began Stan went into the Army.  After 3 years he returned and they married shortly after.  They introduced their first Berenstain Bears book in 1962 and this book, New Baby, came in 1974 where Smal Bear becomes Brother Bear.  They had two children, Leo and Michael, and Michael has become a writer/illustrator on his own and decided to join his parents in the 1980s.  They Berenstain Bears books became a popular tv series as well.  The Berenstain Bears are also on display in many children's museum exhibits including a permanent one at the Stong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York.  Unfortunately, Stan passed away in November, 2005 at age 82.  However, Jan and her son Mike, continue to write and illustrat Berenstain Bears books in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.  They consider this a beautiful region that looks like Berenstain Bear Country.

Genre: Fiction

Grade Level: K-2
Theme: Responsibility

Synopsis:

This book is about Brother Bear outgrowing his bed and needing a new one.  He outgrows it just in time because Sister Bear is on her way and will be needing Brother Bear's bed to sleep in.  It shows how Father Bear takes wood and makes a new bed while Mother Bear is at home preparing for the arrival of Sister Bear and making sure the house is taken care of.  It shows different roles each play and when Brother Bear says he is excited to be a big brother, there will be responsibilities that lie ahead!

 

 

Pre Reading Activity:

Activity:

Have each student share what they think the word responsibility means and write it on the board.

Post Reading Activity:

Activity:
After reading the story, have students write in their journals what respsonsibilites they will take on around the house or what responsibilities they already have.  Also have them write down what responsibilities they have at school.

Reflection:

I think this is a great book to use because it has students think of what Brother Bear might have to start doing to help his parents because they have a new baby.  It also lets the students learn the meaning of the word responsibility and how they can be responsible at home and at school.

What Do You Do, Dear?

Author/Illustrator: Sesyle Joslin/Maurice Sendak

About the Author:
http://www.amazon.com/Sesyle-Joslin/e/B000APIB7E
Sesyle Joslin is a children's literature author. She was born in Providence, RI, on August 30, 1929. She has worked as an editorial assistant and assistant editor in Philadelphia. In 1950, she married writer Al Hine and has three children.

Genre: Fiction
Grade Level: K-1
Theme: Using Manners

 

Synopsis:
This story is about different scenarios that most definitely will not happen the way they are described but it shows children different manners in a silly way. It describes people in different places such as the library and when you are in each place something happens to you that most likely would never happen in real life.  Once this happens they ask what are you to do and you respond with how you should act in that situation.  For example the first is that you are in the library reading a book and all of a sudden you are "lassoed" by someone and he says he has got you and is taking you to his ranch. The book then says "What do you do, dear? You walk through the library quietly!"  This shows students that it is important to be quiet in a library but they can see that you would never be "lassoed" by anyone in a library!

Pre Reading Activity:

Activity:

Have the class discuss some things you should do to be polite to other people and show manners.

Post Reading Activity:

Activity:

After reading the story, have the students draw a picture of how they use their manners with others and then have them bring you their picture and desribe it for you so you can write it down. Hang the students work in the hall for others to see their good manners!

Reflection:

I think this is a cute book and good to use with younger children so they can see how important it is to use manners. I think this book uses different, but funny ways to show manners for students to be able to understand. You will never be lassoed by someone in the library but it shows the manner is to be quiet when you are entering, already inside, and leaving a library!

Lunch Bunnies

Author/Illustrator: Kathryn Lasky/Marylin Hafner

About the Author:
http://www.kathrynlasky.com/KK/About.html
Kathryn Lasky was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. She has one older sister named Martha and their family was Jewish. She never enjoyed school but she went to the University of Michigan and got many A's. She married Chris Knight whom she met at her second job. After marrying Chris, her parents gave them a sailboat and they sailed across the Atlantic Ocean. When they came back she wrote her first children's book and had her first child Max. Five years later she had her daughter Meribah and she now lives in Cambridge.

Genre: Fiction
Grade Level: K-1
Theme: Helping Others

Synopsis:
This story is about a bunny who is nervous about going to school and having lunch. He practices the night before carrying his tray to the table. His older brother tries to make him nervous by saying that they make you clean up your mess and the food is all mystery goosh. Clyde worries that he will drop his tray or make a mistake. The next day he makes a friend before lunch and stands in line with her. She ends up slipping on juice and spills her Jell-O all over the floor but the rest of her food stays on the tray. Clyde helps Rosemary pick up her Jell-O and the lunch lady comes to help them and gets Rosemary a new container of Jell-O. Gloria, the lunch lady yells at the older kids who are laughing and they stop! Rosemary and Clyde become friends and they forget all their worries!

Pre Reading Activity:

Activity:

Have the class look at the cover of the book and predict what might happen.

Post Reading Activity:

Activity:

After reading the story, have the students draw a picture of how they felt the first day of school.

Reflection:

I think this is a cute book and good to use on the first day of school with young children. The teachers know how the lunchroom works and will be able to tell the students that they have nothing to worry about when they go to lunch. This book also is good because some students might be nervous on their first day of school and this book will make all their worries go away especially when they see lunch is not that bad after all!

If You Give A Mouse A Cookie

Author/Illustrator: Laura Joffe Numeroff/Felicia Bond

About the Author:
http://lauranumeroff.com/
Laura was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1953 and was the youngest of three girls. She was surrounded by art, music, and books. She enjoys using her imagination to make people laugh!

Genre: Fiction
Grade Level: K-1
Theme: Using Imagination

Synopsis:
This story is about what might happen if you give a mouse a cookie. He will ask for milk and then get carried away and need to trim his hair, sweep it up, clean the house, want to nap but will need a story, draw pictures, sign his name, hang it on the refrigerator, get thirsty, ask for milk and of course want a cookie to go with it!

Pre Reading Activity:

Activity:

Have the class look at the cover of the book and share ideas of what they would do if they had a mouse to do different things with.

Post Reading Activity:

Activity:

After reading the story, have the students write what a mouse might ask for if you brought him to school!

Reflection:

I think this is a cute book because you can let students predict what will happen and they can use their imagination to come up with many different things. This book also lets students enjoy the silly story and use their imagination to think of different things a mouse would do.

The Giving Tree

Author/ Illustrator: Shel Silverstein

About the Author:

http://shelsilverstein.com/indexSite.html

Shel Silverstein grew up in Chicago and started writing when he was twelve years old. He did not set out to draw and write for children. He would have rather spent time playing baseball but he was not good at it so he decided to draw and write. He did not have any other poet to look to for inspiration so he developed his own style. He was a GI in Japan and Korea in the 1950s and served in the Korean War. While he was in the military, he worked as a cartoonist for "Pacific Stars and Stripes." In 1963, he was convinced to begin writing for children. Where the Sidewalk Ends, Light In the Attic, Runny Babbit, and The Giving Tree are a few of his popular pieces.


Genre: Fiction
Grade Level: 1-4
Theme: Sharing and Giving

Synopsis:

This story is about a tree who loved a little boy. This boy would always visit the tree, eat her apples, swing from her branches, or slide down her trunk and this made the tree very happy.

However, as the boy grew older, he wanted more from the tree each time and the tree gave him what he wanted. The tree would always give the boy what she could because she wanted him happy. When the boy was happy, she was happy. The last time he came to see her, she was sad because she had nothing left to give him. However, the boy said he didn’t need much now.  He just needed a place to rest, so the tree gave him a place to rest.

Pre Reading Activity:

Activity:

Have the class each write a few sentences about what they would want a giving tree to give to them if they had one. Have them describe what their giving tree would look like and draw a picture to go with it.

Post Reading Activity:

Activity:

After reading the story, have the students brainstorm and think of people who have given them something or have done something for them. Have the students write a thank you letter to someone who has given them something or helped them in some way.

 

Reflection:
The Giving Tree is a wonderful story. Sometimes people do not realize what someone or something gives them unless it is material things. The Giving Tree gives all of herself to the little boy, and he takes it without ever saying thank you. I think in real life this happens many times, someone gives so much of themselves or even so much of what they have and it often goes un-noticed.  I beleive this topic is relevant in today's world even though it was published in 1964.  It shows that people still take things for granted and do not think about saying two words that can make all the difference!

Curious George Visits the Library

Author/Illustrator: Margret & H.A. Rey/Style of H.A. Rey by Martha Weston

About the Author:
http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/features/cgsite/history.shtml
Hans Augusto (September 16, 1898) and Margret (May 16, 1906) were both born in Hamburg, Germany. They met when Margret was a young girl and reunited in Rio de Janeiro in 1935. They married in Brazil on August 16, 1935 and moved to Paris after their honeymoon. H.A. published his first chilren's book there called Raffy and the Nine Monkeys (Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys in the British and American editions). This marked the beginning of Curious George! They began working on the manuscript for Curious George but the publication was stopped in the late 1930s and early 1940s because Hitler and the Nazi party were trying to take over Paris. H.A. made bicycles for the two of them and they took only warm coats, a bit of food, and five manuscripts one of which was Curious George. The Nazi's arrived in Paris hours later but the Rey's were long gone! Curious George was published in 1941! Both have passed away but Curious George lives on in the Curious George Foundation.

Genre: Fiction, Language Arts
Grade Level: K-1
Theme: Library Visits

Synopsis:
This story is about Curious George visiting the library for the first time. He sees all the books he likes and wants the librarian to read the one about the dinosaurs. Unfortunately George gets impatient and just takes the book and walks away with it. Soon he is searching through shelves collecting books that he wants to take home and read. He finds a cart to put them on and thinks he can roll the cart home until he crashes into the section of encyclopedias. He helps put the extra books back, then receives a library card of his own, checks out his selected books and enjoys them at home with his friend, the man with the yellow hat.

Pre Reading Activity:

Activity:

Have the class look at the cover and ask them what they think might happen in the story. Then ask if they have been to a library and know any rules of the library.

Post Reading Activity:

Activity:

After reading the story, have the class draw pictures of what they should do in a library. Contact the local public library and schedule a time to go with the class and see if they can hang the pictures they drew in the children's section of the library.

Reflection:

I think this is a cute book to use in a classroom because it allows students to see what they should do in a library and what steps they need to take in order to take out library books. It is important for children to visit a library at a young age to be familiar with the rules and how to check out books as well as having a library card. I got a library card when I was six years old and still have it today. I use the library quite often and I feel like kids should go there at least once a week to check out books to read.

Are You My Daddy?

Author/Illustrator:  Carla Dijs

About the Author:

Carla Dijs is a published author and illustrator of children's books. 

Genre: Fiction
Grade Level: K-1
Theme: Animals

Synopsis:
This is a story about a baby tiger in search of his dad.  In this pop-up book, baby tiger asks every animal he sees if he is his daddy and each animal responds no, states what type of animal they are and gives him a reason why he is not his daddy.  Baby tiger finally finds his daddy and when he asks, his daddy says yes and asks him where he has been?!

Pre Reading Activity:

Activity:

Have the class make predictions of what might happen and who the baby tiger might ask is his father.

Post Reading Activity:

Activity:

After reading the story, have the students make up other animals that baby tiger could ask that were not in the story and give a reason why they could not be baby tiger's father.

Reflection:

I think this is the cutest book!  It shows different types of animals you could introduce to younger children and the pop up features make it look realistic.  It is a quick read for young children to sit and listen to and they could try and predict what animals might be in the story.