Rhyme Time

Here are a handful (plus 1) of books that use poetry and rhyme in different ways. Taking piles of books like this into the classroom, reading some aloud, permitting browsing (book pass) for others, scattering them around the room, handing them to groups to read and booktalk or share in some way, using them as mentor texts for writing: books like these can fit into many different situations. And, unlike the cold dead ways that poems are presented within textbooks, perhaps using books such as these will breathe new life into poetry. Maybe kids will not sigh when the word is mentioned. Notice also that these topics for rhyme and poetry range from construction machines to animals to parodies of some familiar texts. Poetry can reach a wide audience.


SENOR PANCHO HAD A RANCHO by Rene Colato Lainez with illustrations by Elwood Smith. Holiday House, 2013.

DIGGER, DOZER, DUMPER by Hope Vestergaard with illustrations by David Slonim. Candlewick Press, 2013.

DREAM ANIMALS by Emily Winfield Martin. Random HUSE< @)!#>

DOG-GONE SCHOOL BY Amy Schmidt with illustrations (photos) by Ron Schmidt. Random House, 2013.

KING OF THE ZOO by Erica S. Perl with illustrations by Jackie Urbanovic. Orchard, 2013.

DAVID MCPHAIL MY MOTHER GOOSE by David McPhil. Roaring Brook Press, 2013.

Nonfiction reduz

THINGS THAT FLOAT AND THINGS THAT DON'T by David Adler with illustrations by Anna Raff. Holiday House, 2013.

JACK AND THE HUNGRY GIANT EAT RIGHT WITH MY PLATE by Loreen Leedy. Holiday House, 2013.

Science books this time. Nutrition (a la Jack and the Beanstalk) and density (using common objects and a tub of water) are two important concepts. Here are picture books that boil those concepts down to their essences. Thiink of using these as guides for students who will write (in science class) about other concepts using the format of an informational picture book or by blending fiction and nonfiction (telling time with Cinderella, staying safe in nature via Red Riding Hood?)/ The possibilities are endless and limited only to the imaginations of the kids.

Slice of Life

A PICTURE BOOK OF DANIEL BOONE y David Adler with illustrations by Matt Collins. Holiday House, 2013.

ANNE FRANK'S CHESTNUT TREE by Jane Kohuth with illustrations by Elizabeth Sykes. Random House, 2013.

JFK by Jonah Winter with illustrations by AG Ford. Katherine Tegen Books, 2013.

Here are three books that provide a slice of life glimpse into the life of Anne Frank, JFK, and Daniel Boone. All three forms and formats are a bit different from the other. Provide sets of books like these to kids (and the age range here can be from beginning readers to high school depending on the final product requested/desired). Allow time for comparison and contrast. Bring in next other sets of biographies about these three individuals (that should not be tough at all). Compare and contrast information, approach, story, etc. There really is no limit to what can be done in a classroom with these books.

Dinos Galore!

HOW BIG WERE DINOSAURS? by Lita Judge. Roaring Brook Press, August 2013.

THE GREATEST DINOSAUR EVER by Brenda Z. Guiberson with illustrations by Gennady Spirin. Holt, October 2013.

THE BIG GOLDEN BOOK OF DINOSAURS by Robert Bakker with illustrations by Luis Rey. Golden Book, 2013.


So, all you looking for books for meeting CCSS standards, here I a trio that, used together, will provide for some interesting material for classroom lessons. Compare and contrast illustrations in terms of media and style. Examine how the texts are different from one book to another. From informational text to narrative nonfiction to books that use a more fanciful blend of fiction and fact: this demonstrates that simply using the term nonfiction will never suffice.

10 on 10

We were challenged to come up with our own list of 10 picture books on a theme for August 10.  Here is my ten.  The books range from a loss of innocence to a loss of a loved one to a loss of a thing of value.  Some are relatively new books.  Most, though, are older books.  I do this deliberately as I think sometimes we overlook the oldies but goodies/  Plus, many of the older books will be readily located in a school and/or public library.



TEN PICTURE BOOKS ON LOSS

1.  THE WALL
2.  I NEVER KNEW YOUR NAME
3.  SOPHIE
4.  THE LEGEND OF THE BLUEBONNET
5.  GRANDPA'S SONG'
6.  THE TENTH GOOD THING ABOUT BARNEY
7.  GRANDPA GREEN
8.  KNUFFLE BUNNY
9.  SMOKY NIGHT
10. BLUEBIRD

Mad Potter

THE MAD POTTER: GEORGE E. OHR, ECCENTIC GENIUS by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan. Roaring Brook Press, October 2013.

George Ohr's incredible creations were hidden from sight for years. Greenberg and Jordan trace his path to the potter's wheel, a device that freed his creative spirit to experiment with form and design. Ohr took his creations to fairs and local shows and sold them by hand. He invited visitors to his studio inside to see more of the pots and sculptures. Many more became "lost" when Ohr retired from pottry. Now, a new generation can see how form and function and design were pushed to the limits by this more than a little eccentric artist.

Hello Hattie!

HATTIE AFTER EVER BY Kirby Larson. Delacorte, 2013.

It has been 7 years since we last saw Hattie (HATTIE BIG SKY) and the lovely thing about book characters is that time has not passed as quickly in Hattie's world. The year is 1919 and Hattie is working as a maid in a boarding house. When a troupe of actors stays for a few days, Hattie is enticed by the potential for adventure travel might hold. When the troupe reaches San Francisco, Hattie changes jobs and gets a position as a night maid at a newspaper office. Eventually, she works her way into the newsroom. Hattie understands how the real world can operate; she learns who to trust. The book ends hopefully with Hattie finding her real home and knowing it is not a place but perhaps a person. Larson's sense of place is strong here; it will help readers become immersed in the world of 1919 San Francisco, especially for young women.