Picture Book #11 -- There's No Place Like Space

TITLE:   There's No Place Like Space
AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR:   Tish Rabe, Aristides Ruiz
GENRE:Science
THEME:   Adventure
 AWARDS:None
 CHARACTERS: Cat in the Hat, Dick, Sally, Thing 1 and Thing 2 
PUBLISHING DATE AND COMPANY: Random House, 1999
SUMMARY: I really enjoyed this book because it is informational (the copy I read has nine planets, but there is a newer revised edition that takes out Pluto). This book is a great book because it is set up and written much like a Dr. Seuss book, and rhymes fantastically. This book gives a little bit of information for each planet, as well as the sun and the moon. I like that it is simple, and to the point, great for young readers, all the way up to I would say third grade (after that they may think it is a book for 'little kids'). I would use this book in a classroom that I was teaching about space as an introduction to the space unit, and it would also be a collaborative lesson because it would be reading as well.

Picture Book #10 -- Just Plain Fancy

TITLE: Just Plain Fancy
AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR:   Patricia Polacco
 GENRE: General /fiction
THEME:   Culture and DiversityAWARDS: None
CHARACTERS: Naomi, Ruth, Dad, Fancy, and Martha
PUBLISHING DATE AND COMPANY: A Bantam Little Rooster Book, October 1990
SUMMARY: This book is set in Pennsylvania where there is a high population of Amish and Mennonites. I like that this story can help children (in a fun and interesting way) learn about the Amish/Mennonite culture (while they are different cultures, they have some very similar basics). This book is about one little girl who doesn't understand why everything has to be so plain, she just wants one fancy thing. It is said in the book that it is almost time that she gets her white kapp (the little white bonnet that pre-teen and teen Amish wear), all she has to do is wait until the frolic and see if it happens. In the mean time she has to care of the chickens to prove that she is being a responsible citizen and helping out her family and community. Part of caring for the chickens is going out into the little field behind the chicken coop and collecting any eggs that may have been laid out side of the nests. This is when she finds an egg that is fancy, and doesn't look like a chicken egg. Naomi and Ruth decide to take it into the chicken house and put it in one of the nests. They look after the chickens, and after a while, the eggs start to hatch. They have the normal chickens and then there is the chicken that came from the funny looking egg, and they decide to call it Fancy, since it is different than all the other chickens. Towards the end of the book, Fancy shows her true colors and it makes the girls nervous that she is going to be shunned (not allowed to speak with the Amish any more). 

I think that this is a good book to read, especially in the south, because it sort of teaches about the Amish/Mennonites. While it doesn't get in depth it presents a good level of understanding of how the Amish/Mennonite community works.

Picture Book #9 -- The Junkyard Wonders

TITLE:  The Junkyard Wonders

 AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR:  Patricia Polacco

 GENRE:   Realistic Fiction

 THEME:  Self Esteem/ Self Pride

 AWARDS:None

 CHARACTERS: Trisha (she is never mentioned by name, but this book is a memoir of the author's childhood, at least part of it), Jody, Thom, Ravanne, Mrs. Peterson

 PUBLISHING DATE AND COMPANY: Philomel Books 2010

SUMMARY: This book is a snippet of part of Patricia Polacco's life as a child. The book is in first person from her point of view. I really like this book because it isn't just written in her point of view, but the recalling of details that she put in here is amazing. This book talks about how when she was a child many times the 'special' kids were placed in a separate classroom (much like they are now), however children in that time period were not as accepting of children who are different than them. When I first read the book and how the teacher also called the classroom 'The Junkyard' I was sort of offended. These children are not junk, they are amazing and many times are under estimated. Then I realized after I kept reading that while the teacher uses the term junkyard, she embraces it, and uses it as a teaching tool. I feel like she was way ahead of her time in the way that she was teaching her classroom, I love the techniques she used, as well as the attitude that she had. When it came time for the end of the book, it has a major turn, but I feel without it the book wouldn't be such a great read. This book can teach a lot to students, parents, and teachers.

I would not only love to use this book in my classroom, but at trainings for teachers as well. Not only does this book show the bullying that some special needs students face, but a way that teachers can deal with it. I love that Mrs. Peterson embraced the fact that the kids thought of them selves as junk, because while she never says it I think she used the mentality of 'one man's trash is another man's treasure'. This book is an amazing teaching tool for all ages. I recommend that any and everyone read The Junkyard Wonders.

Chapter Book #4-- Diamond Willow

TITLE: Diamond Willow

AUTHOR: Helen Frost

  GENRE: Poetry and Rhyme

   THEME: Eskimos, friendship

  AWARDS: This book has no awards.

CHARACTERS:Willow, her family, and the dogs.

PUBLISHING DATE AND COMPANY: This book was published in 2008 by Frances Foster Books.

 SUMMARY: This is the story of a young girl who wants nothing more than to be seen as a growing girl. She is growing up, and doesn't like being treated like a baby. She wants to be liked by her friend, because right now she is crushing on a boy. This book touches on what a lot of young teen girls are going through. 

This book would be a good one for middle schoolers to read, because it will help them know they aren't alone. This book is also an easy read for middle schoolers because of the way it is written in poetry form, which is nice because they won't feel stressed out while reading this on top of any other books they may be reading for school.

Chapter Book #3 -- Junie B. Jones is a Graduation Girl

TITLE: Junie B. Jones is a Graduation Girl

  AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR: Barbra Park and Denise Brunkus

  GENRE: Realistic Fiction

   THEME: Manners and growing up

  AWARDS: This book has no awards.

CHARACTERS: This book has Junie, her friends, her family, her teacher, and the principal.

PUBLISHING DATE AND COMPANY: This book was published by Random House in 2001.

 SUMMARY: This book is all about Junie B. Jones growing up, and moving on from kindergarten. She misbehaves in class, and has worries about moving onto the first grade. She gets sent to the principal for not listening to the teacher. When the teacher sends home the children's graduation cap and gowns, she tells them to not open the box because then it will get the white gown dirty. Of course, Junie B. doesn't listen, and ends up with a whole slew of things down the front of her gown. 

I would use this book when reading to a group of first or second graders, to let them know it is normal to be nervous about moving onto a new step in life. It can be hard, and it is important to listen to the adults in your life, but this book teaches them they can do it.

Chapter Book #2 -- Stinky Stern Forever

TITLE: Stinky Stern Forever

  AUTHOR: Michelle Edwards

  GENRE: Realistic Fiction

   THEME: Bullying, death, grief.

  AWARDS: This book has no awards.

CHARACTERS:Matthew Stern, Pa Lia, and Mrs. Fennessey are the main characters in this book.

PUBLISHING DATE AND COMPANY: This book was published in 2005 by Harcourt Inc.

 SUMMARY: This book is all about a little boy who the kids called 'Stinky Stern' and the experiences they had with him. Stinky Stern was a bully in the second grade, and none of the kids liked him. The day of the accident he had put glue on one of the other students snowflakes in order to ruin it. Luckily Pa Lia is a quick thinker and just used the glue to her advantage. On her way home from school, she saw a white van hit Stinky Stern, and when she didn't see him get up, she knew something wasn't right. The next day when she arrives at school she realized that nothing was the same that day as any other day. As she walked to class she noticed teachers and other students crying, she also noticed in class that her teacher had extra tissues. The class as a whole talked about their interactions with Stinky and how he made them feel. They came to the conclusion that his death hurt worse than anything he had ever done to them. 

I could use this book in my classroom to help open up the discussion about young people dying. Death is always a hard subject to discuss, especially with young children, and this would help them have a way to talk about it. I feel that as a special education teacher it is important to discuss death with your kids, because sometimes the students with more severe disabilities may not make it, and you need to be able to discuss it with your other students in the class. 

Picture Book #8 --The House in the Night -- Caldecott Medal

TITLE: The House in the Night

  AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR: Susan Marie Swanson and Beth Krommes 

  GENRE: General Fiction

   THEME: This book is about bedtime and sleep.

  AWARDS: This book is the 2009 winner of the Caldecott Medal.

CHARACTERS: There aren't really any characters in this book, but it shows a little girl in the house(we know this from the doll).

PUBLISHING DATE AND COMPANY: This book was published in 2008 Houghton Mifflin Company.

 SUMMARY: This book is a very simple book, about a house and all the things in it.

This would be a good book for a young child or one who has special needs. This book is a very simple and easy read, and is very visually appealing because it is in all black and white with a few certain items in each picture highlighted in yellow.