WILD ROSE'S WEAVING by Ginger Churchill with illustrations by Nicole Wong (Tanglewood 2011) gives readers the story of a girl who is much too busy to learn how to weave from her grandmother. Instead, she runs over the hillsides and dips her feet into the river. When she returns, she is amazed to see what her grandmother has created on her loom. Pair this one with ANNIE AND THE OLD ONE. <563>
EVERY-DAY DRESS by Selina Alko (Knopf 2011) is a bit deceptive from the outside. It appears to be a book about a young girl laying dress up with clothes from an old trunk. Look inside, though, and you will see this girl transform herself into Amelia Earhart, Frida Kahlo, Maria Tallchief, and other women. An appendix gives brief biographies of the women featured in this book. <564>
In THE SCAR (Candlewick 2011), a young boy is angry over the death of his mother. Who will take care of him? How could she leave him? His father will never learn how to cut his toast just right. Charlotte Moundlic and illustrator Olivier Tallec have produced a book that is simple in its approach to death. It is frank and heartbreaking but always hopeful. <565>
THE ORPHAN by Anthony Manna and Soula Mitakidou with illustrations by Giselle Potter is a Cinderella story from Greece. It will be familiar in places to those who know more than the sanitized Disney version of this classic tale. Rhyme and repetition and other motifs make this a strong addition to a fairy tale collection. <566>
MY DOG, MY CAT by Ashlee Fletcher (Tanglewood 2012) presents the differences between the two pets. One has a wt tongue; the other's tongue is rough. However, there are some similarities as well: both pets love their owner and their owner loves them. Simple illustrations with splashes of color to accentuate are perfect for this easy reader. <567>
Scar is a book which I will have to purchase. So many of my students face this right now and having a book on hand which deals with these basic fears would be invaluable.
ReplyDeleteI like the pairing suggestion for Annie and the Old One for Wild Rose's Weaving. This is great for helping students make connections. Scar sounds way too sad for me, but I think our school counselor could use this in her collection.
ReplyDeleteI can see using Everday Dress Up, for introducing biographies to young readers.
Venn Diagram for My Dog,My Cat. Similarities and differences can be fun. :)
Our second and fourth grades do fairy tale units, and we like to use several versions of familiar tales. "The Orphan" will be a welcome addition to "Sootface", "Cinderfella", and Jon Scieska's version in "The Stinky Cheese Man".
ReplyDeleteEvery-Day Dress Up seems like a great book to showcase great women in history. It would be a good to teach students about historical women while enjoying a great picture book.
ReplyDeleteI have a wide collection of Cinderella stories from different cultures, so I am looking forward to checking out The Orphan. We always need to work on looking for similarities and differences among objects in our grade level, so I am excited about the possibility of adding My Dog, My Cat! Every-Day Dress-Up sounds like it might be a great way to introduce biographies to our little ones.
ReplyDeleteWith a daughter who loves to dress-up I love the idea of taking it to the next level with Every-day Dress Up. What a great way to introduce positive, powerful role models!
ReplyDeleteBooks that deal with emotionally painful situations are best addressed with the aide of books such as The Scar. This is a book that I would like see in a collection.
ReplyDeleteThe cover on THE SCAR is one that will appeal to many students. It immediately draws a response and makes you wonder what the little boy is going through. I'll have to read this one real soon. Should be a good for our elementary shelves.
ReplyDeleteEvery-Day Dress-Up is a great way to bring non-fiction to life at an age appropriate level for the younger student. Little girls will love to combine dress up time with real women in history. With books like these, there is no reason to avoid these topics in lower elementary grades.
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ReplyDeleteI enjoy a tale that's based on Cinderella. The Orphan by Anthony Manna, sounds like a great new addition to the different Cinderella classics from different countries. The Scar, also sounds like a great book to read even if it sounds like it covers a very sad, but realistic topic.
I love different versions of the Cinderella story. Seeing the story told through the eyes of another country is neat. Keep the picture books coming!
ReplyDeleteScar is a book that I would want to add to my library collection. I've taught several students who have suffered the loss of their mother. Perhaps a book may help!
ReplyDeleteI've read different versions of Cinderella with my fourth graders for the last two years. I'd like to add The Orphan to our collection.
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