Hi Jess, Well, I just re-read Pinkalicious for the uptinth time! Yet, I was looking at it from a different view point. The first thing that came to mind were boys. In my school, we have been talking a lot about the CMT test and the gaps between the percentage of boys meeting goal as opposed to the percent of girs. The boys are lower, in some cases 10 points lower. Therefore, our school is trying to reach boys in different levels. One way, is to read more nonfiction, or books with boys as the main characters. Just wondering how kindergarten boys respond to this. I also think this text offeres a very humorous point of view. "I'm Pinkerbelle," students may connect this to Tinkerbelle, "green with envy", "Pink-a-boo!" I think the text certainly has humor that kindergartners can connect with a appreciate. I also liked the format of the text,Especially when she goes for the last cupcake on top of the fridge and she stands on all of the chairs; I think the placement of the words showing how she war reaching up high is perfect. I also read a review on the book that does point out an excellent teaching moment concerning food following the old phrase "you are what you eat." I think the book also teaches you to eat properly to stay healthy. On another note, quick question. Since you were formerly a third grade teacher, you probably are familiar with the reading strands. Do you start working on these at all in kindergarten? This was also amongst conversation at my school. I guess this book, as most do, can go along with the question what lesson did Pinkalicious learn, which in turn ties into the healthy eating lesson! I'm interested to hear your thoughts!
Pinkalicious by: Victoria Kann and Elizabeth Kann - Free choice book
Hi Sarah, Overall, I thought this was a good picture book. I thought the dialogue in this story was pretty natural and sounded like things the characters really would say, especially the whining that Pinkalicious did when she wanted to eat the cupcakes! I can hear young children saying it the exact way the Pinkalicious did in the story.I also felt like the illustrations and the words connected to each other perfectly. In my opinion, the illustrations completely made the story. The color pink was really essential to the story and the pictures helped to establish the setting in Pinkalicious's "pink world".
In regards to your question about the CMT strands in Kindergarten, I do start working on them with my students. I do start to have my students think about the purpose of the books we read. I plan on reading this story to my students at the end of my Colors and Numbers Unit. I will ask my students to think about what they believe Pinkalicious learned...I am thinking they will get it, with a little prompting! I will let you know! I plan on reading it this week!
Hi Jess, I just wrote to you, and all of my comments were lost!!! I agree that overall this is a good book. I think the dialogue with the parents is also natural, something the kids will be able to connect. I also enjoyed the illustrations, and I agree that they are important to the story. I really enjoy the page of green when she eats the vegetables. I think the illustrations look like a sea of veggies! I am finding that my students have a difficult time responding to some of the strand questions. They have a hard time referring back to the text for explanations.
Hey Sar! So I read this with my students and they kind of got the message with prompting. They basically said that Pinkalicious turned pink because she was not listeing to her parents and couldn't stop eating...some of my students, I have to admit, were actually a little distracted by the illustrations because of their color. Next year, if I choose to read this story, I may read it one time to the kids at snack time just to have them listen to the story first and have a chance to take in the illustrations and then a second time on the carpet where I ask them to think about why she turned pink and what lessons she learned.
Omnibeasts by: Douglas Florian - Poetry Book I just finished reading this book of peoms and I must say that I really enjoyed Douglas Florian's style. I have heard of his poetry books before but this is the first one that I've actually read. The way the illustrations matched the short, clever poems was brillant. I feel that these poems are definitely more suited for your students, Sarah, because of the way in which Florian plays on words. The main reason I enjoyed these poems so much is because of the way this poet incorporate humor into his visual and written description of each animal. My kindergarten students are much too literal and would probably miss many of the clever little nuances he includes. Students who read these poems will have to connect the words with the illustrations to deiscern the true meaning of each poem, a process which is much too complicated for my Kinder kids right now. However, as I was reading I did find several poems that I could read aloud to help strengthen the concept of rhyming. This phonemic awareness concept is very developmental and the more children are exposed to rhymes, the easier they will grasp the concept.
-Omnibeasts- Well, I also just finished reading this book. I definitely think the kids will find humor in the poems. They are also short and to the point, which is right up a third graders alley! The book definitely fits the description of poetry within our class text. It explores animals, and evokes emotion in the form of laughter. I agree that the play of words might be difficult for kindergarteners, but they will certainly like the rhyme. I also enjoy the presentation of the words in the text, whether its a zigzag for the polliwoggles, or humps for the camel, or even the "o" getting higher and higher to represent the "oooohhhh" of the coyote is quite neat. The kids will definitely enjoy reading that! I have to say that I really enjoy his illustrations, even more than the poems. After researching him more, I found a website that focuses solely on his paintings. I clicked on a link within the site that led me to his statement on his artwork. After reading it, I began to laugh, it is a poem! It reflects the "I Am" style but begins with "My drawings are..." It was quite neat! I think he uses many different interesting sytles within his illustrations. Some of the painting almost feel as though their is a three dimensional piece to them, or a texture.
Hey Sar! You are right! The shape poems are great! I forgot to comment on them in my last blog but I enjoyed them immensely! Again, this is another aspect of some of his poems that I feel Kindergarten students would overlook and would need to be explicitly told about. But, as you mentioned, they would enjoy the rhyme. I was thinking hard about the illustrations and I really feel that the poems couldn't really stand on their own without the corresponding illustrations. Or, maybe they could stand on their own, but the humorous meaning would mainly be lost. What do you think? In this case, I really feel like the illustrations help to reveal hidden meanings and extend the plot, but in this case, the poem.
Hey Jess! Okay...so I'm going to be honest. I do LOVE poetry, but I'm not to excited about this book. Again, I think the short to the point lyrics will be enjoyed by the kids, but am I missing something? I guess I don't feel these poems offer much. I think they are suitable for fluency and rhyming. I guess you can talk about how poetry is written and the styles. I guess I feel that they are all the same style, which obviously is his style. This is not my favorite poetry book, maybe because his writing style is not like mine!
Sar, I can totally see where you are coming from. I guess I liked them b/c I thought they were witty and clever but I do agree that as a third grade teacher there isn't too much to do with them. You certainly couldn't have a Grand Conversation about any one poems because on the whole, there isn't too much depth.
Hi Jess, -Historical Fiction- So I read the book Coming On Home Soon by Jacqueline Woodson. First of all, I love her as an author. She also wrote Feathers, which you read for our multicultural book in class. Anyway, my kids absolutely loved this book! They were totally captured by the story, and the illustrations. I think that the history behind the story is not blatent, but the it did lead to many questions, "Where is her dad? Why does her Mom have to go so far to go to work?" We had an excellent conversation about the history of the time period. They also picked up on the colors in the illustrations. They mentioned the fact that many pictures had dark colors. There were some light focused on the happy things of her life, like the kitten. They also commented on the cover of how the left side shows darkness, and the right shows light, which is what she is looking for, positive things in the book. Our focus of the lesson was visualizing. They totally got everything, and they were really touched by the emotions.
Hi Sar, I enjoy Jacqueline Woodson, too. The overall tone of the story, set by the illustrations and the text, was certainly not whimsical like that of Pinkalicious. Rather, it was very somber and serious. I also immediately noticed the predominately dark colors in the illustrations and the contrast of light as well. These illustrations helped to set the tone and in some places, extend the plot (like when the smaller illustrations would be shown under the text to give the reader a "glimpse" into the future). Actually, I really began to notice an overall theme of hope that was conveyed through the text, just as in the book Feathers I read for my literature circle. Ada Ruth was hopeful that her mother would be coming on home soon but also hopeful that she could keep the kitten, too. It seems like Woodson conveys a sense of hope in many of her stories....have you read The Other Side?? It is a theme in that book, too.
Ohhh! I love that book too! Woodson is one of my favorite authors. I guess I am also fascinated by the time period in some of her books. I also find it so interesting that the children seem to fall in love with the time period and conflict of race and judgement. I agree that she offers a sense of hope in her books, but yet they still seem different to me. She doesn't seem to throw things out in your face. She seems to tread the waters of the history as well as the conflicts within the story. I looked on her website to find out more information on her and her background. She mentioned writing as a child, but not much about the culture or the topics of her writing. I was surprised...
When my group and I read Feathers, we tried to research about Woodson and didn't find much either...I do agree with you that she doesn't throw the messages of the story (such as hope) in your face. Although it is weaved throughout the story, it is subtle in this particular picture book. As a kindergarten teacher, I would not use this story with my students. The deeper historical content, which is important for understanding the true meaning of the story, would fly right over their heads.
Yes, I definitely agree! I was surprised at how well my students responded. It really opened the door to a great conversation of that time period. I love when the kids initiate the learning! I am surprised about the lack of information on Woodson. She has written so many books, and has received so many medals. I guess I would assume their would be more information on her.
Biography- I just finished reading Eleanor, Quiet No More by Doreen Rappaport. I think this book may be a bit challenging for third graders, and a bit much for kindergarten. The sentences start short and are broken up as to not overwhelm the reader, but there is certainly a lot of information within the text. I really like the fact that the author included quotes from Eleanor on each page. Some of them could almost stand as a heading for each page. We have been working on main idea and discussing the importance of headings in reading non-fiction and identifying the main idea. In my opinion, the quotes sum up the ideas of the page. Her words certainly show her high level of intelligence, but are comprehensible for students. I think Rappaport brings the history of what a woman’s life was like during the 1900’s. It may inspire more questions about history. I have noticed my students are becoming more intrigued with history as we read through these historical books, whether it is fiction or non-fiction. As I was reading, I questioned how valid the author was in the writing of biographies, and wondered what other work she has published. I poked through her website and found that she has written several biographies, and stories of people from the holocaust, civil rights, slavery, and Native Americans. She has published quite a bit. I would like to check out more of her books. I also noticed she received a Coretta Scott King award for a book written about Martin Luther King. I am interested to hear your thoughts on this one!
HI Sar, Well, I have read a lot of biographies, but this one seemed different to me. I agree with you about the content on each page. The author certainly packed a lot of information into each sentence. Although the sentences were biographical, I felt that the quotes were meant to be autobiographical. So, basically, I felt that this story was actually a biography and autobiography all blended into one book. I felt like this story actually lent itself to some great opportunities for students to make connections,in particular connections where they could "step into the character's shoes". I found myself doing this throughout the story, but especially at the beginning when they talked about Eleanor's parents and how they treated her. I could also envision this book to be a great text to use for characterization. I would love for students to use the text evidence in the biography to discern Eleanor's personality traits. In regards to the illustrations, I found the colors to be rather muted and dull, which corresponded to the somber and serious tone of the text itself. I also thought it was interesting how the illustration were drawn a little blurred - the facial features of the characters were not sharp and there was a good deal of shadowing, too. I didn't really feel like the illustrations helped to move the plot along...what do you think??
Hey Jess, I agree with you that the illustrations are muted and dark. I also think it seems to reflect the time period, and some of the difficult times Eleanor faced as a woman. She seemed to constantly overcome some battle from the crudeness of her mother, to supporting her family when her husband was ill. I agree that the quotes offer a great lesson. We are working on extending the text and taking the character's voice. Obviously, this is challenging for a third grader, so we are starting by looking deeper at the character/person of interest from the text. Our first step is to interview the character, and develop some answers that the character may say in their reply. This would be a great choice to set up interview questions for a non-fiction book.
HI Sar, I totally agree with you that the illustrations reflect the time period. However, as I read the story, I was wondering if the colors in the illustrations would change to brighter "happier" tones when good things happened in Eleanor's life. But, they continued to reflect darker, more serious colors. I think some of the quotes in the story would make great discussion starters and the students may even be able to have a "Grand Conversation" centered around them. I was also thinking that this text would make a good mentor text for a unit on Biographies or Overcoming Obstacles. When I taught third grade, I did a biography unit and I always tried to find mentor texts that captured the students' attention. Since this book is so recent, I never used it in my own classroom. If I ever move back to the intermediate grades, I plan to!
Hey Jess! Great idea! We usually complete a biography unit in late winter early spring. This would be an excellent mentor text. I'm interested to see how the kids react. Eleanor is not well known to many third graders. I was also going to look for a biography on Babe Ruth or someone the boys can connect with, and someone they may look up to.
I have a really good book, Teammates, that I tend to use for my biography unit. It gives the story of Jackie Robinson and PeeWee Reese. The boys and girls alike really enjoy it. But, I agree with you that Eleanor Roosevelt is pretty unknown so using this book may be a great option!
Silly Lilly and the Four Seasons Hey Sar, Ok, so I chose this story because the title really appealed to me and my kindergarten students always have such a hard time with seasonal concepts. Many of my bilingual students tend to get confused about the differences in the weather amongst each season as well as changes in nature (trees, flowers, etc) that occur with each season, too. I thought this may be a good book to help teach and/or reinforce these concepts. Furthermore, SIlly Lilly seemed (from the cover) like a fun main character. However, after reading this book, I hate to admit, but I didn't really like it. The style of the book, written almost like a comic strip, was a little confusing and read as four choppy little comic strip "stories" in my opinion. The activities that Lily does in each season, are not really the best portrayal of outdoor seasonal activities. For example, in the spring section of the book, most of the story is taken up by Lily talking to her teddy and the activities she does do, such as dancing and jumping, could honestly be done in any season and not just spring in particular. I liked the activity chosen for the fall, which was picking apples. However, I felt as though the illustrations could have matched the text a little better. Instead of picturing Lily inside with a basket full of apples, the author/illustrator could have drawn LIly outside by some fall apple trees to provide more a setting. In my own classroom, I will most likely still use this story, but I will probably utilize it as a snack time read aloud rather than an interactive read aloud. I am interested to hear your thoughts on Silly Lilly!
Hi Jess, I think the kids will definitely like the comic book aspect. Kids always seem drawn to the pictures and the silliness of the content. I find that kids are always trying to act like older siblings. This book will give them that opportunity. Lily is a bit silly in picking up the snail thinking it was a rock, when to her surprise it was not! I think the children would also be amused in the fall section where she takes one bite of an apple and then moves on to try the next one. I think the story lines are lacking, especially the last section on spring. She gets on the swing, catches her balance, and that’s the end. I guess I’m learning a bit more about myself and my own preference of books. As a reader, I want a theme, or some kind of meaning. I suppose that is why I teach an older grade! I would agree this book does not lend itself deeply to an interactive read aloud. You could possibly use the book to teach some aspects of writing with the conversation bubbles, and the ellipsis, but that might not be appropriate for kindergarten. I agree with you about the illustrations. They seem to reinforce the text, but I cannot understand why the outdoor weather was not a part of the illustration. The weather is so important when you are discussing seasons. Possibly, the author thought the reader would be able to connect or pull on background knowledge with his or her own experiences. Yet, I’m sure there are some readers whom have never experienced apple picking. All in all, I would categorize this as a mediocre book. I noticed that the author is lives in Paris and has written other books. I wondered if this book was translated, and lost something in translation? Maybe??
Sar, Nice insight about the author...perhaps something was a little lost in the translation. I also did some research on this book and the recommended age group is 4-7 years. However, I feel that the lack of plot and the missing elements in the illustrations that would depict the setting make it a harder to understand for Pre-K and Kindergarten students. I am afraid that children would entirely miss the seasonal content of the story and just remember that the book is about a silly girl named Lilly. I agree with you that this book is rather mediocre. However, I will say that it is very difficult to find picture books about the seasons that are developmentally appropriate for kindergarten students. Most that I find contain vocabulary that is way too challenging and difficult for kinder kids to understand. Others, like this one, lack content. So frustrating! I will keep searching. The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree is a good one I found...there has to be others out there!
I can imagine. Kindergarten is a difficult age to find appropriate books. I actually talked about Silly Lilly today in my classroom. We were talking about what makes a great book, and keeps us reading. We talked about how we like when we are interested in the character, and we care about what happens to them. I told them how I read this book, and I wasn't interested in the character because the author didn't show me much in the book because it was so brief. It made for a great discussion, and again helped open my eyes as a reader and a writer. I suppose you need to assure a four year old can relate to the content. This book seems a bit too brief.
Yes, I agree, too brief and no connection to the character. Kindergarten kiddos need something in books to capture their attention and keep it for the duration of the story. I highly doubt that this picture book will do just that. I think that a snack time read aloud will be a good use for this story in my classroom.
A is for Anaconda - Informational - I really enjoyed reading this informational picture book and think it is a valuable asset to any classroom library K - 8. For kindergarten students, I like the fact that essentially, this is an alphabet book highlighting a different element of the rainforest for each letter. I also enjoy the little rhymes for each letter. For example, "F is for Food web, of animals and plants, They all are linked together, like falcons, frogs, and ants." Rhyming is a huge phonemic awareness skill that my kindergarten students focus on througout the year. However, this seemingly simplistic picture book can be easily differentiated for students in higher grades. On each page, there are paragraphs of information about the rainforest located on the sides of the page. These paragraphs have more challenging vocabulary and are more complex than the simple rhymes featured in the center of the page. Dependent upon the grade level, students could either just listen to rhymes or learn more difficult information that may be developmentally too hard for kindergarteners to comprehend read on the sides of the page.
Hi Jess, This is a great book. I love the illustrations that accompany each letter; from visible brush strokes to paintings that look so real, it seems like a photgraph. The pictures also have an element to them that make them pop. I would say Laura Regan, the illustrator, has done an excellent job. The illustrations take up most of the over-sized book and reinforce the text well. I also like the differentiation this book presents. I think the simplistic form of the letters to the short rhythmic explanations to the detailed facts. I also noticed the detailed portions on the side of the pages give alternate animals, plants, places, or objects found in the jungle. My students, this year in particular, are really interested in taking reading to the next step in researching topics in more depth. This book offers them the opportunity to do just that. The subject matter of the rainforest would fit perfectly into our third grade unit of habitats. The letter “Z” speaks very loudly to the reader. The illustration is filled with a brown canvas filled with cut down trees and the bulldozer in the background, yet in the front is a young girl and her father planting a tree, while the text states “Z is for zero.” I would love to have a copy of this within my classroom library!
Hi Sar, I am glad you enjoyed this picture book! It is one of the few aplhabet books I have found that is appropriate for Kindergarten students yet would not be considered too "babyish" for children in the intermediate grades. I agree with you that the illustrations seemed almost lifelike, which is very appealing to students and is thte next best thing to actually photographs. I feel that the author was very clever in the rhymes he wrote. The information being presented for each letter about the rainforest could in fact be complicated to understand but the rhymes are a great way to take challenging information and present it in a way that seems more simplistic. I checked online and noticed that Fredericks writes mainly informational stories about science topics. I wish he had written an informational picture book about the seasons! I was wondering if his other stories provide opportunities for differentiation such as this one...I will have to check them out!
Definitely! I will keep on the lookout for books on the seasons. This text is fun to read with the rhymes. I think this is an excellent way to teach our future about the earth's values and the consequence of depleting the riches that keep our planet healthy. It certainly opens many doors for exploration whether it be further information on the rainforest or other ways we can protect our earth. I also noticed there is a bit of information in the book about Fredericks. It mentioned that he is an award winner writer of nature and has written three dozen books! He visits elementary schools throughout the country, maybe we can snag him and put in a good word for the seaons! I really love this book! I think I am just as big of a fan of the illustrator as the author. She is great. Thanks for the great recommendation Jess!!!
I just researched Laura a bit more. She seems to be well known for her artwork within nature. She said she enjoys educating children on the different elements of the planet. In a biography I read on jacketflap.com, she mentioned she has a new piece of work from Sleeping Bear Press coming out in 2009, and it is her favorite book thus far...well, wouldn't you know, I think it is this book!
-Show Way- Newbery Honor Book By Jacqueline Woodson Hi Jess, Well here is another book by Woodson. I did like the book, but not as much as some of her other books. Yet, I think it is neat that the story seems to reflect her family history. What a great way to tell the history of your family for generations to come. I think this would be an excellent way to introduce cultures and the history behind the United States being the melting pot that it is today. Students could possibly research their ancestry and create a story about how they came to the United States. Even if the student is unaware of how their family member came to this country, they could research what it was like for immigrants to come here and create a historical fiction story that could mimic what their ancestor’s trip was like. As far as the text, I had a difficult time following along sometimes as there were so many generations! I often had to stop and flip back to summarize what I had read so far. I did like the way she put a lyrical pattern to her words, “loved that baby up so, yes she loved that baby up so.” I think this aspect helps the reader to also see into another aspect of passageways of slaves in the form of songs. I never knew about the quilting and the show ways to freedom. I think this is an excellent way for Woodson to tie together the history of her family along with the cultural tradition of freedom and its secret maps.
HI Sarah! This is kind of ironic because so many of the comments you wrote about this picture book, I was thinking also! I, too, had a difficult time following the text and had to do a lot of rereading to figure out who was related to whom. I am wondering if this picture book would be better suited for grades 5-8 instead of third graders. Just as you noted, I noticed some prose as well. However, because the text is written in mostly shorter, choppy phrases rather than sentences and paragraphs it is harder to comprehend in my opinion. I found myself referring to the illustrations quite frequently to help me understand the text better. Speaking of the illustrations, I feel that they definitely extended the plot. For example, on the page with the map, you can see what actually happens to the slave who runs away to the north, although the text never specifically states it. The quilt is essential to the meaning of the story and I love how the text is written in such a way that it looks as though it is printed in the patches of the quilt. Also, I love the way the illustrator drew the quilt weaving across the pages, just like it weaves through this family's history. Overall, I think this is a good picture book, but a hard one for elementary students to fully understand and appreciate.
Yes, I would definitely agree. I think my third graders would have a difficult time following the book. I would need to stop frequently and make a visual of a family tree. Our music teacher uses this book. I am interested to see how she uses it, and with what particular grades. We are a 3-5 school, so I'm not sure if she uses it for the entire school, or only one grade. She is very creative, and I wonder if teaches them any freedom songs from that time period. I always find that students are so intrigued with this subject matter. I guess the reason could be that I find it so fascinating! I still love the idea of using it to trace back family history. This may be a bit difficult. Maybe I can recommend that project to another grade level where students can research information on the Internet and find book studies about a particular time period of when their ancestors came over. I always think it is so neat to get students interested and inspired to do their own research.
Wow! Your music teacher uses this story? I would be interested to hear how she uses it. I think that it would also be a good book to talk about family tradition. The quilt seemed to me almost like a family tradition that was passed down from one generation to another. Both the quilt and the process of making the quilt were important to this family. As a teacher, you could use this mentor text as a way to start a conversation about family traditions and ask the students what family possessions that know about that have been passed down through the years. Also, I noticed in the book that the number seven seemed to have significance. Each child that was written about started their life story at the age of seven. I wonder if something happened in the Woodson's life at the age of seven that had some significance, which led her to start each of her character's lives at this age.
I spoke to the music teacher. She is using the book as her goal of improving comprehension strategies through music. She is going to read this book to students and share some of the freedom songs of the slaves to enhance their understanding of their lifestyles and why they needed these quilts and songs to help show the way of safety for the underground railroad. Very interesting! She is going to start this in January and continue through February for Black History month.
Edward Tulane- Modern Fantasy Chapter Book By Kate DiCamillo Hi Jess, Well, I have to say this book reaches deep down into the heart. I love Kate DiCamillo’s books. I always feel as though she invites the reader into the story as in The Tale of Desperaux, when she says something along the lines of, “Reader, have you ever experienced …” My students love her books. I read this one in particular to my class last year. I did get an email from a parent regarding the loss of the little girl, Sarah Ruth. The mother commented that her child was worried about dying. She told him that he was a healthy boy, and the doctor has said he is in great shape. Of course, I felt terrible! She went on to say that she saw it as a great opportunity to talk about death. Ironically, the next morning they learned of a family member’s death. This may have been a bit bold, but I said it seems as though everything happens for a reason. I also told her that the greats in literature seem to always hold an element of controversy. All in all, she was a librarian and it sparked her interest to read the book. I have had parents tell me that the book is depressing, but I always find that this is a favorite of children. I also find the symbolism of his head smashing and the next thing he knows he sees all of his friends whom he has learned to love in one place and Sarah Ruth in the sky. He is pulled back down to earth and told he can’t go yet. None of my students have ever commented on this being his experience of crossing over, they have only commented that this is a dream.
Hi Sar, I do agree that death is a topic of discussion in the story. However, I saw another theme carried throughout the story which may not be so saddening to children - love. At the beginning of the story, Edward's heart was very hardened. It seemed like no one or nothing in his life really mattered to him. With each new character he met and expereince he had on his journey, I felt as though his heart got a little "softer" and slowly, little by little, began filling with love again. He learned how to care for others. I think this theme is something that all children can relate to. All of our students have people in their lives who they love and know what it is like to experience that emotion. As a read, I saw a connection between Edward Tulane and Ebeneezer Scrooge. Both characters at the beginning seem almost incapable of feeling love for others and being caring. However, with each person Edward visited on his journey and each ghost who visited Scrooge, their rough hearts slowly started to melt away. At the end, they both knew what it was like to care for others and feel love. Although I have never read this book with my students, I can understand how children would not be able to fully grasp Edward's "crossing over" experience. This may be a good example of a story that appears to be suited for a younger audience becuase it is centered around a bunny, but really is one older students would enjoy because of its hiden meanings.
Hi Jess, When someone recommended this book to me, I thought it was a bit dry for a start. As the story line progressed, I found myself really connecting to him and his experiences. I think any reader can relate to this book as you stated, because we've all loved and lost, as well as gone through ups and downs no matter what the age. Children love the “doll” theme with that little hope that lives within them that their “doll” has feelings. It reminded me of the Velveteen Rabbit. That was a favorite if mine as a child! I guess I never imagined that the doll could be so conceded and selfish! I think that may captivate people to want to read on. We always assume that teddy bears, or bunnies are loving, not self-absorbed. I also thought it was ironic how he made the full circle within his journey. He started with Abilene, and then ended with her daughter. I have to admit when I read it, I was hoping there was going to be some kind of connection to the beginning to pull it all together. I was questioning how the grandmother Pellegrina played in the story. She seemed to give him a lesson in the beginning of the story, and then he commented on seeing the look of her eyes again. I kept waiting for her to pop back into the storyline, but she didn’t. Kate DiCamillo seems to have a writing style that engages the readers, keeps them questioning and trying to figure out problems within the plot for most of the story. She is an excellent writer. Although the book can be looked at as depressing, I think it does point out a sense of appreciating those around us. Life seems to move by so quickly, and in today’s busy world we need to stop and just appreciate life and the big picture of our life. When I get myself stressed out, I always revert back to the thought, “at the end of my life, who will I look back and remember, and will this moment be that important in the big picture?” If the answer is no, I try to move beyond to the people and things that will influence my “big picture” within my life. I really enjoy this story and the theme of appreciation of life.
HI Sar, I agree with you about how this story essentially converys an appreciation for life. I kept thinking that this would be a great book to use for a "Grand Conversation". There are so many big themes being expressed, that I believe that children can relate to - love and the sense of loss as well appreciating those around us. What fabulous discussions our intermediate students could have! I also found it interesting that the main character was not a human but rather a stuffed bunny. I thought this was interesting b/c even though he is a doll, he experiences very human-like emotions and has human-like qualities. So, even though he is not alive, students can easily connect to how he is feeling. I would probably opt to not use this story with my kindergarten students. It would be appreciated with older kiddos who can fully understand the story content.
Yes, I agree I think this may be a bit too much for your students. However, the Velveteen Rabbit lends itself well to your grade level. I wonder what kinds of coversations you would get from that book. I just also bought Kate DiCamillo's newest book. I can't wait to read it. Maybe it will be another read aloud to share with my students. They all love her books. Maybe, we can read several of her books, and then analyze her writing style. We are working on taking our comprehension beyond the text. I think one way to take this to the next level would be to analyze her writing and send her questions. Maybe she would respond. Talk about motivating kids! No better way than to hear from an author you love!
Hi Jess,
ReplyDeleteWell, I just re-read Pinkalicious for the uptinth time! Yet, I was looking at it from a different view point. The first thing that came to mind were boys. In my school, we have been talking a lot about the CMT test and the gaps between the percentage of boys meeting goal as opposed to the percent of girs. The boys are lower, in some cases 10 points lower. Therefore, our school is trying to reach boys in different levels. One way, is to read more nonfiction, or books with boys as the main characters. Just wondering how kindergarten boys respond to this.
I also think this text offeres a very humorous point of view. "I'm Pinkerbelle," students may connect this to Tinkerbelle, "green with envy", "Pink-a-boo!" I think the text certainly has humor that kindergartners can connect with a appreciate. I also liked the format of the text,Especially when she goes for the last cupcake on top of the fridge and she stands on all of the chairs; I think the placement of the words showing how she war reaching up high is perfect. I also read a review on the book that does point out an excellent teaching moment concerning food following the old phrase "you are what you eat." I think the book also teaches you to eat properly to stay healthy.
On another note, quick question. Since you were formerly a third grade teacher, you probably are familiar with the reading strands. Do you start working on these at all in kindergarten? This was also amongst conversation at my school. I guess this book, as most do, can go along with the question what lesson did Pinkalicious learn, which in turn ties into the healthy eating lesson! I'm interested to hear your thoughts!
Pinkalicious
ReplyDeleteby: Victoria Kann and Elizabeth Kann
- Free choice book
Hi Sarah,
Overall, I thought this was a good picture book. I thought the dialogue in this story was pretty natural and sounded like things the characters really would say, especially the whining that Pinkalicious did when she wanted to eat the cupcakes! I can hear young children saying it the exact way the Pinkalicious did in the story.I also felt like the illustrations and the words connected to each other perfectly. In my opinion, the illustrations completely made the story. The color pink was really essential to the story and the pictures helped to establish the setting in Pinkalicious's "pink world".
In regards to your question about the CMT strands in Kindergarten, I do start working on them with my students. I do start to have my students think about the purpose of the books we read. I plan on reading this story to my students at the end of my Colors and Numbers Unit. I will ask my students to think about what they believe Pinkalicious learned...I am thinking they will get it, with a little prompting! I will let you know! I plan on reading it this week!
Hi Jess,
ReplyDeleteI just wrote to you, and all of my comments were lost!!! I agree that overall this is a good book. I think the dialogue with the parents is also natural, something the kids will be able to connect. I also enjoyed the illustrations, and I agree that they are important to the story. I really enjoy the page of green when she eats the vegetables. I think the illustrations look like a sea of veggies!
I am finding that my students have a difficult time responding to some of the strand questions. They have a hard time referring back to the text for explanations.
Hey Sar!
ReplyDeleteSo I read this with my students and they kind of got the message with prompting. They basically said that Pinkalicious turned pink because she was not listeing to her parents and couldn't stop eating...some of my students, I have to admit, were actually a little distracted by the illustrations because of their color. Next year, if I choose to read this story, I may read it one time to the kids at snack time just to have them listen to the story first and have a chance to take in the illustrations and then a second time on the carpet where I ask them to think about why she turned pink and what lessons she learned.
Omnibeasts
ReplyDeleteby: Douglas Florian
- Poetry Book
I just finished reading this book of peoms and I must say that I really enjoyed Douglas Florian's style. I have heard of his poetry books before but this is the first one that I've actually read. The way the illustrations matched the short, clever poems was brillant. I feel that these poems are definitely more suited for your students, Sarah, because of the way in which Florian plays on words. The main reason I enjoyed these poems so much is because of the way this poet incorporate humor into his visual and written description of each animal. My kindergarten students are much too literal and would probably miss many of the clever little nuances he includes. Students who read these poems will have to connect the words with the illustrations to deiscern the true meaning of each poem, a process which is much too complicated for my Kinder kids right now. However, as I was reading I did find several poems that I could read aloud to help strengthen the concept of rhyming. This phonemic awareness concept is very developmental and the more children are exposed to rhymes, the easier they will grasp the concept.
-Omnibeasts-
ReplyDeleteWell, I also just finished reading this book. I definitely think the kids will find humor in the poems. They are also short and to the point, which is right up a third graders alley! The book definitely fits the description of poetry within our class text. It explores animals, and evokes emotion in the form of laughter. I agree that the play of words might be difficult for kindergarteners, but they will certainly like the rhyme. I also enjoy the presentation of the words in the text, whether its a zigzag for the polliwoggles, or humps for the camel, or even the "o" getting higher and higher to represent the "oooohhhh" of the coyote is quite neat. The kids will definitely enjoy reading that! I have to say that I really enjoy his illustrations, even more than the poems. After researching him more, I found a website that focuses solely on his paintings. I clicked on a link within the site that led me to his statement on his artwork. After reading it, I began to laugh, it is a poem! It reflects the "I Am" style but begins with "My drawings are..." It was quite neat! I think he uses many different interesting sytles within his illustrations. Some of the painting almost feel as though their is a three dimensional piece to them, or a texture.
Hey Sar!
ReplyDeleteYou are right! The shape poems are great! I forgot to comment on them in my last blog but I enjoyed them immensely! Again, this is another aspect of some of his poems that I feel Kindergarten students would overlook and would need to be explicitly told about. But, as you mentioned, they would enjoy the rhyme. I was thinking hard about the illustrations and I really feel that the poems couldn't really stand on their own without the corresponding illustrations. Or, maybe they could stand on their own, but the humorous meaning would mainly be lost. What do you think? In this case, I really feel like the illustrations help to reveal hidden meanings and extend the plot, but in this case, the poem.
Hey Jess!
ReplyDeleteOkay...so I'm going to be honest. I do LOVE poetry, but I'm not to excited about this book. Again, I think the short to the point lyrics will be enjoyed by the kids, but am I missing something? I guess I don't feel these poems offer much. I think they are suitable for fluency and rhyming. I guess you can talk about how poetry is written and the styles. I guess I feel that they are all the same style, which obviously is his style. This is not my favorite poetry book, maybe because his writing style is not like mine!
Sar,
ReplyDeleteI can totally see where you are coming from. I guess I liked them b/c I thought they were witty and clever but I do agree that as a third grade teacher there isn't too much to do with them. You certainly couldn't have a Grand Conversation about any one poems because on the whole, there isn't too much depth.
Hi Jess,
ReplyDelete-Historical Fiction-
So I read the book Coming On Home Soon by Jacqueline Woodson. First of all, I love her as an author. She also wrote Feathers, which you read for our multicultural book in class. Anyway, my kids absolutely loved this book! They were totally captured by the story, and the illustrations. I think that the history behind the story is not blatent, but the it did lead to many questions, "Where is her dad? Why does her Mom have to go so far to go to work?" We had an excellent conversation about the history of the time period. They also picked up on the colors in the illustrations. They mentioned the fact that many pictures had dark colors. There were some light focused on the happy things of her life, like the kitten. They also commented on the cover of how the left side shows darkness, and the right shows light, which is what she is looking for, positive things in the book. Our focus of the lesson was visualizing. They totally got everything, and they were really touched by the emotions.
Hi Sar,
ReplyDeleteI enjoy Jacqueline Woodson, too. The overall tone of the story, set by the illustrations and the text, was certainly not whimsical like that of Pinkalicious. Rather, it was very somber and serious. I also immediately noticed the predominately dark colors in the illustrations and the contrast of light as well. These illustrations helped to set the tone and in some places, extend the plot (like when the smaller illustrations would be shown under the text to give the reader a "glimpse" into the future). Actually, I really began to notice an overall theme of hope that was conveyed through the text, just as in the book Feathers I read for my literature circle. Ada Ruth was hopeful that her mother would be coming on home soon but also hopeful that she could keep the kitten, too. It seems like Woodson conveys a sense of hope in many of her stories....have you read The Other Side?? It is a theme in that book, too.
Ohhh! I love that book too! Woodson is one of my favorite authors. I guess I am also fascinated by the time period in some of her books. I also find it so interesting that the children seem to fall in love with the time period and conflict of race and judgement. I agree that she offers a sense of hope in her books, but yet they still seem different to me. She doesn't seem to throw things out in your face. She seems to tread the waters of the history as well as the conflicts within the story. I looked on her website to find out more information on her and her background. She mentioned writing as a child, but not much about the culture or the topics of her writing. I was surprised...
ReplyDeleteWhen my group and I read Feathers, we tried to research about Woodson and didn't find much either...I do agree with you that she doesn't throw the messages of the story (such as hope) in your face. Although it is weaved throughout the story, it is subtle in this particular picture book. As a kindergarten teacher, I would not use this story with my students. The deeper historical content, which is important for understanding the true meaning of the story, would fly right over their heads.
ReplyDeleteYes, I definitely agree! I was surprised at how well my students responded. It really opened the door to a great conversation of that time period. I love when the kids initiate the learning! I am surprised about the lack of information on Woodson. She has written so many books, and has received so many medals. I guess I would assume their would be more information on her.
ReplyDeleteBiography-
ReplyDeleteI just finished reading Eleanor, Quiet No More by Doreen Rappaport. I think this book may be a bit challenging for third graders, and a bit much for kindergarten. The sentences start short and are broken up as to not overwhelm the reader, but there is certainly a lot of information within the text. I really like the fact that the author included quotes from Eleanor on each page. Some of them could almost stand as a heading for each page. We have been working on main idea and discussing the importance of headings in reading non-fiction and identifying the main idea. In my opinion, the quotes sum up the ideas of the page. Her words certainly show her high level of intelligence, but are comprehensible for students. I think Rappaport brings the history of what a woman’s life was like during the 1900’s. It may inspire more questions about history. I have noticed my students are becoming more intrigued with history as we read through these historical books, whether it is fiction or non-fiction. As I was reading, I questioned how valid the author was in the writing of biographies, and wondered what other work she has published. I poked through her website and found that she has written several biographies, and stories of people from the holocaust, civil rights, slavery, and Native Americans. She has published quite a bit. I would like to check out more of her books. I also noticed she received a Coretta Scott King award for a book written about Martin Luther King. I am interested to hear your thoughts on this one!
HI Sar,
ReplyDeleteWell, I have read a lot of biographies, but this one seemed different to me. I agree with you about the content on each page. The author certainly packed a lot of information into each sentence. Although the sentences were biographical, I felt that the quotes were meant to be autobiographical. So, basically, I felt that this story was actually a biography and autobiography all blended into one book.
I felt like this story actually lent itself to some great opportunities for students to make connections,in particular connections where they could "step into the character's shoes". I found myself doing this throughout the story, but especially at the beginning when they talked about Eleanor's parents and how they treated her. I could also envision this book to be a great text to use for characterization. I would love for students to use the text evidence in the biography to discern Eleanor's personality traits.
In regards to the illustrations, I found the colors to be rather muted and dull, which corresponded to the somber and serious tone of the text itself. I also thought it was interesting how the illustration were drawn a little blurred - the facial features of the characters were not sharp and there was a good deal of shadowing, too. I didn't really feel like the illustrations helped to move the plot along...what do you think??
Hey Jess,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that the illustrations are muted and dark. I also think it seems to reflect the time period, and some of the difficult times Eleanor faced as a woman. She seemed to constantly overcome some battle from the crudeness of her mother, to supporting her family when her husband was ill. I agree that the quotes offer a great lesson. We are working on extending the text and taking the character's voice. Obviously, this is challenging for a third grader, so we are starting by looking deeper at the character/person of interest from the text. Our first step is to interview the character, and develop some answers that the character may say in their reply. This would be a great choice to set up interview questions for a non-fiction book.
HI Sar,
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you that the illustrations reflect the time period. However, as I read the story, I was wondering if the colors in the illustrations would change to brighter "happier" tones when good things happened in Eleanor's life. But, they continued to reflect darker, more serious colors.
I think some of the quotes in the story would make great discussion starters and the students may even be able to have a "Grand Conversation" centered around them. I was also thinking that this text would make a good mentor text for a unit on Biographies or Overcoming Obstacles. When I taught third grade, I did a biography unit and I always tried to find mentor texts that captured the students' attention. Since this book is so recent, I never used it in my own classroom. If I ever move back to the intermediate grades, I plan to!
Hey Jess!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! We usually complete a biography unit in late winter early spring. This would be an excellent mentor text. I'm interested to see how the kids react. Eleanor is not well known to many third graders. I was also going to look for a biography on Babe Ruth or someone the boys can connect with, and someone they may look up to.
I have a really good book, Teammates, that I tend to use for my biography unit. It gives the story of Jackie Robinson and PeeWee Reese. The boys and girls alike really enjoy it. But, I agree with you that Eleanor Roosevelt is pretty unknown so using this book may be a great option!
ReplyDeleteSilly Lilly and the Four Seasons
ReplyDeleteHey Sar,
Ok, so I chose this story because the title really appealed to me and my kindergarten students always have such a hard time with seasonal concepts. Many of my bilingual students tend to get confused about the differences in the weather amongst each season as well as changes in nature (trees, flowers, etc) that occur with each season, too. I thought this may be a good book to help teach and/or reinforce these concepts. Furthermore, SIlly Lilly seemed (from the cover) like a fun main character.
However, after reading this book, I hate to admit, but I didn't really like it. The style of the book, written almost like a comic strip, was a little confusing and read as four choppy little comic strip "stories" in my opinion. The activities that Lily does in each season, are not really the best portrayal of outdoor seasonal activities. For example, in the spring section of the book, most of the story is taken up by Lily talking to her teddy and the activities she does do, such as dancing and jumping, could honestly be done in any season and not just spring in particular. I liked the activity chosen for the fall, which was picking apples. However, I felt as though the illustrations could have matched the text a little better. Instead of picturing Lily inside with a basket full of apples, the author/illustrator could have drawn LIly outside by some fall apple trees to provide more a setting.
In my own classroom, I will most likely still use this story, but I will probably utilize it as a snack time read aloud rather than an interactive read aloud. I am interested to hear your thoughts on Silly Lilly!
Hi Jess,
ReplyDeleteI think the kids will definitely like the comic book aspect. Kids always seem drawn to the pictures and the silliness of the content. I find that kids are always trying to act like older siblings. This book will give them that opportunity. Lily is a bit silly in picking up the snail thinking it was a rock, when to her surprise it was not! I think the children would also be amused in the fall section where she takes one bite of an apple and then moves on to try the next one.
I think the story lines are lacking, especially the last section on spring. She gets on the swing, catches her balance, and that’s the end. I guess I’m learning a bit more about myself and my own preference of books. As a reader, I want a theme, or some kind of meaning. I suppose that is why I teach an older grade! I would agree this book does not lend itself deeply to an interactive read aloud. You could possibly use the book to teach some aspects of writing with the conversation bubbles, and the ellipsis, but that might not be appropriate for kindergarten.
I agree with you about the illustrations. They seem to reinforce the text, but I cannot understand why the outdoor weather was not a part of the illustration. The weather is so important when you are discussing seasons. Possibly, the author thought the reader would be able to connect or pull on background knowledge with his or her own experiences. Yet, I’m sure there are some readers whom have never experienced apple picking. All in all, I would categorize this as a mediocre book. I noticed that the author is lives in Paris and has written other books. I wondered if this book was translated, and lost something in translation? Maybe??
Sar,
ReplyDeleteNice insight about the author...perhaps something was a little lost in the translation. I also did some research on this book and the recommended age group is 4-7 years. However, I feel that the lack of plot and the missing elements in the illustrations that would depict the setting make it a harder to understand for Pre-K and Kindergarten students. I am afraid that children would entirely miss the seasonal content of the story and just remember that the book is about a silly girl named Lilly. I agree with you that this book is rather mediocre. However, I will say that it is very difficult to find picture books about the seasons that are developmentally appropriate for kindergarten students. Most that I find contain vocabulary that is way too challenging and difficult for kinder kids to understand. Others, like this one, lack content. So frustrating! I will keep searching. The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree is a good one I found...there has to be others out there!
I can imagine. Kindergarten is a difficult age to find appropriate books. I actually talked about Silly Lilly today in my classroom. We were talking about what makes a great book, and keeps us reading. We talked about how we like when we are interested in the character, and we care about what happens to them. I told them how I read this book, and I wasn't interested in the character because the author didn't show me much in the book because it was so brief. It made for a great discussion, and again helped open my eyes as a reader and a writer. I suppose you need to assure a four year old can relate to the content. This book seems a bit too brief.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree, too brief and no connection to the character. Kindergarten kiddos need something in books to capture their attention and keep it for the duration of the story. I highly doubt that this picture book will do just that. I think that a snack time read aloud will be a good use for this story in my classroom.
ReplyDeleteA is for Anaconda
ReplyDelete- Informational -
I really enjoyed reading this informational picture book and think it is a valuable asset to any classroom library K - 8. For kindergarten students, I like the fact that essentially, this is an alphabet book highlighting a different element of the rainforest for each letter. I also enjoy the little rhymes for each letter. For example, "F is for Food web, of animals and plants, They all are linked together, like falcons, frogs, and ants." Rhyming is a huge phonemic awareness skill that my kindergarten students focus on througout the year. However, this seemingly simplistic picture book can be easily differentiated for students in higher grades. On each page, there are paragraphs of information about the rainforest located on the sides of the page. These paragraphs have more challenging vocabulary and are more complex than the simple rhymes featured in the center of the page. Dependent upon the grade level, students could either just listen to rhymes or learn more difficult information that may be developmentally too hard for kindergarteners to comprehend read on the sides of the page.
Hi Jess,
ReplyDeleteThis is a great book. I love the illustrations that accompany each letter; from visible brush strokes to paintings that look so real, it seems like a photgraph. The pictures also have an element to them that make them pop. I would say Laura Regan, the illustrator, has done an excellent job. The illustrations take up most of the over-sized book and reinforce the text well.
I also like the differentiation this book presents. I think the simplistic form of the letters to the short rhythmic explanations to the detailed facts. I also noticed the detailed portions on the side of the pages give alternate animals, plants, places, or objects found in the jungle. My students, this year in particular, are really interested in taking reading to the next step in researching topics in more depth. This book offers them the opportunity to do just that. The subject matter of the rainforest would fit perfectly into our third grade unit of habitats. The letter “Z” speaks very loudly to the reader. The illustration is filled with a brown canvas filled with cut down trees and the bulldozer in the background, yet in the front is a young girl and her father planting a tree, while the text states “Z is for zero.” I would love to have a copy of this within my classroom library!
Hi Sar,
ReplyDeleteI am glad you enjoyed this picture book! It is one of the few aplhabet books I have found that is appropriate for Kindergarten students yet would not be considered too "babyish" for children in the intermediate grades. I agree with you that the illustrations seemed almost lifelike, which is very appealing to students and is thte next best thing to actually photographs. I feel that the author was very clever in the rhymes he wrote. The information being presented for each letter about the rainforest could in fact be complicated to understand but the rhymes are a great way to take challenging information and present it in a way that seems more simplistic.
I checked online and noticed that Fredericks writes mainly informational stories about science topics. I wish he had written an informational picture book about the seasons! I was wondering if his other stories provide opportunities for differentiation such as this one...I will have to check them out!
Definitely! I will keep on the lookout for books on the seasons. This text is fun to read with the rhymes. I think this is an excellent way to teach our future about the earth's values and the consequence of depleting the riches that keep our planet healthy. It certainly opens many doors for exploration whether it be further information on the rainforest or other ways we can protect our earth.
ReplyDeleteI also noticed there is a bit of information in the book about Fredericks. It mentioned that he is an award winner writer of nature and has written three dozen books! He visits elementary schools throughout the country, maybe we can snag him and put in a good word for the seaons! I really love this book! I think I am just as big of a fan of the illustrator as the author. She is great. Thanks for the great recommendation Jess!!!
I just researched Laura a bit more. She seems to be well known for her artwork within nature. She said she enjoys educating children on the different elements of the planet. In a biography I read on jacketflap.com, she mentioned she has a new piece of work from Sleeping Bear Press coming out in 2009, and it is her favorite book thus far...well, wouldn't you know, I think it is this book!
ReplyDelete-Show Way- Newbery Honor Book
ReplyDeleteBy Jacqueline Woodson
Hi Jess,
Well here is another book by Woodson. I did like the book, but not as much as some of her other books. Yet, I think it is neat that the story seems to reflect her family history. What a great way to tell the history of your family for generations to come. I think this would be an excellent way to introduce cultures and the history behind the United States being the melting pot that it is today. Students could possibly research their ancestry and create a story about how they came to the United States. Even if the student is unaware of how their family member came to this country, they could research what it was like for immigrants to come here and create a historical fiction story that could mimic what their ancestor’s trip was like.
As far as the text, I had a difficult time following along sometimes as there were so many generations! I often had to stop and flip back to summarize what I had read so far. I did like the way she put a lyrical pattern to her words, “loved that baby up so, yes she loved that baby up so.” I think this aspect helps the reader to also see into another aspect of passageways of slaves in the form of songs. I never knew about the quilting and the show ways to freedom. I think this is an excellent way for Woodson to tie together the history of her family along with the cultural tradition of freedom and its secret maps.
HI Sarah!
ReplyDeleteThis is kind of ironic because so many of the comments you wrote about this picture book, I was thinking also! I, too, had a difficult time following the text and had to do a lot of rereading to figure out who was related to whom. I am wondering if this picture book would be better suited for grades 5-8 instead of third graders. Just as you noted, I noticed some prose as well. However, because the text is written in mostly shorter, choppy phrases rather than sentences and paragraphs it is harder to comprehend in my opinion. I found myself referring to the illustrations quite frequently to help me understand the text better.
Speaking of the illustrations, I feel that they definitely extended the plot. For example, on the page with the map, you can see what actually happens to the slave who runs away to the north, although the text never specifically states it.
The quilt is essential to the meaning of the story and I love how the text is written in such a way that it looks as though it is printed in the patches of the quilt. Also, I love the way the illustrator drew the quilt weaving across the pages, just like it weaves through this family's history. Overall, I think this is a good picture book, but a hard one for elementary students to fully understand and appreciate.
Yes, I would definitely agree. I think my third graders would have a difficult time following the book. I would need to stop frequently and make a visual of a family tree. Our music teacher uses this book. I am interested to see how she uses it, and with what particular grades. We are a 3-5 school, so I'm not sure if she uses it for the entire school, or only one grade. She is very creative, and I wonder if teaches them any freedom songs from that time period. I always find that students are so intrigued with this subject matter. I guess the reason could be that I find it so fascinating! I still love the idea of using it to trace back family history. This may be a bit difficult. Maybe I can recommend that project to another grade level where students can research information on the Internet and find book studies about a particular time period of when their ancestors came over. I always think it is so neat to get students interested and inspired to do their own research.
ReplyDeleteWow! Your music teacher uses this story? I would be interested to hear how she uses it. I think that it would also be a good book to talk about family tradition. The quilt seemed to me almost like a family tradition that was passed down from one generation to another. Both the quilt and the process of making the quilt were important to this family. As a teacher, you could use this mentor text as a way to start a conversation about family traditions and ask the students what family possessions that know about that have been passed down through the years.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I noticed in the book that the number seven seemed to have significance. Each child that was written about started their life story at the age of seven. I wonder if something happened in the Woodson's life at the age of seven that had some significance, which led her to start each of her character's lives at this age.
I spoke to the music teacher. She is using the book as her goal of improving comprehension strategies through music. She is going to read this book to students and share some of the freedom songs of the slaves to enhance their understanding of their lifestyles and why they needed these quilts and songs to help show the way of safety for the underground railroad. Very interesting! She is going to start this in January and continue through February for Black History month.
ReplyDeleteEdward Tulane- Modern Fantasy Chapter Book
ReplyDeleteBy Kate DiCamillo
Hi Jess,
Well, I have to say this book reaches deep down into the heart. I love Kate DiCamillo’s books. I always feel as though she invites the reader into the story as in The Tale of Desperaux, when she says something along the lines of, “Reader, have you ever experienced …” My students love her books. I read this one in particular to my class last year. I did get an email from a parent regarding the loss of the little girl, Sarah Ruth. The mother commented that her child was worried about dying. She told him that he was a healthy boy, and the doctor has said he is in great shape. Of course, I felt terrible! She went on to say that she saw it as a great opportunity to talk about death. Ironically, the next morning they learned of a family member’s death. This may have been a bit bold, but I said it seems as though everything happens for a reason. I also told her that the greats in literature seem to always hold an element of controversy. All in all, she was a librarian and it sparked her interest to read the book. I have had parents tell me that the book is depressing, but I always find that this is a favorite of children. I also find the symbolism of his head smashing and the next thing he knows he sees all of his friends whom he has learned to love in one place and Sarah Ruth in the sky. He is pulled back down to earth and told he can’t go yet. None of my students have ever commented on this being his experience of crossing over, they have only commented that this is a dream.
Hi Sar,
ReplyDeleteI do agree that death is a topic of discussion in the story. However, I saw another theme carried throughout the story which may not be so saddening to children - love. At the beginning of the story, Edward's heart was very hardened. It seemed like no one or nothing in his life really mattered to him. With each new character he met and expereince he had on his journey, I felt as though his heart got a little "softer" and slowly, little by little, began filling with love again. He learned how to care for others. I think this theme is something that all children can relate to. All of our students have people in their lives who they love and know what it is like to experience that emotion.
As a read, I saw a connection between Edward Tulane and Ebeneezer Scrooge. Both characters at the beginning seem almost incapable of feeling love for others and being caring. However, with each person Edward visited on his journey and each ghost who visited Scrooge, their rough hearts slowly started to melt away. At the end, they both knew what it was like to care for others and feel love.
Although I have never read this book with my students, I can understand how children would not be able to fully grasp Edward's "crossing over" experience. This may be a good example of a story that appears to be suited for a younger audience becuase it is centered around a bunny, but really is one older students would enjoy because of its hiden meanings.
Hi Jess,
ReplyDeleteWhen someone recommended this book to me, I thought it was a bit dry for a start. As the story line progressed, I found myself really connecting to him and his experiences. I think any reader can relate to this book as you stated, because we've all loved and lost, as well as gone through ups and downs no matter what the age. Children love the “doll” theme with that little hope that lives within them that their “doll” has feelings. It reminded me of the Velveteen Rabbit. That was a favorite if mine as a child! I guess I never imagined that the doll could be so conceded and selfish! I think that may captivate people to want to read on. We always assume that teddy bears, or bunnies are loving, not self-absorbed.
I also thought it was ironic how he made the full circle within his journey. He started with Abilene, and then ended with her daughter. I have to admit when I read it, I was hoping there was going to be some kind of connection to the beginning to pull it all together. I was questioning how the grandmother Pellegrina played in the story. She seemed to give him a lesson in the beginning of the story, and then he commented on seeing the look of her eyes again. I kept waiting for her to pop back into the storyline, but she didn’t. Kate DiCamillo seems to have a writing style that engages the readers, keeps them questioning and trying to figure out problems within the plot for most of the story. She is an excellent writer.
Although the book can be looked at as depressing, I think it does point out a sense of appreciating those around us. Life seems to move by so quickly, and in today’s busy world we need to stop and just appreciate life and the big picture of our life. When I get myself stressed out, I always revert back to the thought, “at the end of my life, who will I look back and remember, and will this moment be that important in the big picture?” If the answer is no, I try to move beyond to the people and things that will influence my “big picture” within my life. I really enjoy this story and the theme of appreciation of life.
HI Sar,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about how this story essentially converys an appreciation for life. I kept thinking that this would be a great book to use for a "Grand Conversation". There are so many big themes being expressed, that I believe that children can relate to - love and the sense of loss as well appreciating those around us. What fabulous discussions our intermediate students could have!
I also found it interesting that the main character was not a human but rather a stuffed bunny. I thought this was interesting b/c even though he is a doll, he experiences very human-like emotions and has human-like qualities. So, even though he is not alive, students can easily connect to how he is feeling.
I would probably opt to not use this story with my kindergarten students. It would be appreciated with older kiddos who can fully understand the story content.
Yes, I agree I think this may be a bit too much for your students. However, the Velveteen Rabbit lends itself well to your grade level. I wonder what kinds of coversations you would get from that book.
ReplyDeleteI just also bought Kate DiCamillo's newest book. I can't wait to read it. Maybe it will be another read aloud to share with my students. They all love her books. Maybe, we can read several of her books, and then analyze her writing style. We are working on taking our comprehension beyond the text. I think one way to take this to the next level would be to analyze her writing and send her questions. Maybe she would respond. Talk about motivating kids! No better way than to hear from an author you love!