Tornadoes!

Tornadoes! 

Written and illustrated by Gail Gibbons

Published by Holiday House in 2009

32 pages

Genre: science, non-fiction, picture book

 

As I was searching for an informational book, I came across this one. Tornadoes are a scary subject, but the art looked so cute that it gave it friendly spin. One of my favorite things to teach about is weather, so I was interested right off the bat. This informational book explains what tornadoes are, how they form, and what to do if you are faced with one. I like that it includes how to stay safe in a tornado. 

The illustrations are colorful, detailed, and fun to look at. A child could learn a lot just by looking at the pictures. Gail Gibbons uses acrylic paint. The pictures give a lot of meaning to the book's topic and supports the written words.  I like how they depicted the damaged that each size of tornado could do in more of a positive light, rather than them being dark and scary.

This book is great for first grade and up. This would be as a read aloud to introduce tornado drills in your school. You could relate tornadoes and art by letting the students make a collage.  A science experiment showing how tornadoes form would be very interesting for students of all ages.

John, Paul, George, & Ben

John, Paul, George, & Ben

Author and Illustrator: Lane Smith

Published by Disney-Hyperion in 2006

40 pages

Genre: historical fiction, picture book

 

I am not a fan of history but when I saw this cute little book, I had to flip through it. I fell instantly in love with the illustrations and use of different texts. Most historical books are boring but this one is quite the opposite! It tells all about John Hancock, Paul Revere, George Washington, and Benjamin Franklin as children. It's very funny and had my class laughing out loud!

 

When asked about his artistic medium, Lane Smith says, "I like a little bit of everything. Mixed media is the best description. Sometimes I paint in oils and I collage bits of paper into the work. Sometimes I do charcoal or pencil drawings." Sometimes he draws the pictures in pen and ink and paints them digitally in Photoshop. Some of the textures are created with oil paints and scanned in later. The pictures really add interest and make the story come to life!

This story is appropriate for preschool to second grade. You could turn this book into a vocabulary lesson and talk about making inferences with context clues. You could learn about figurative language such as puns, onomatopoeias, and similes.  You could use it as a social studies lesson for President's Day and talk about the five presidents in the book. 

Lane Smith's books have been New York Times Best Illustrated Books of the Year four times. In 2012 The Eric Carle Museum named him an Honor Artist for lifelong innovation in the field of children's books. In 2014 he received the Society of Illustrators Lifetime Achievement award.

Round is a Mooncake: A Book of Shapes

Round is a Mooncake: A Book of Shapes

by Roseanne Thong

Illustrated by Grace Lin 

Published by Chronicle Books in 2000

40 pages

Genre: cultural (China), picture book

 

The title of this story caught my glance right away. What is a mooncake? I wondered to myself. This story is about a little girl exploring and finding different shapes in her Asian culture. There is a glossary explaining the cultural significance of the objects.

 

Grace Lin presents her new style of art work combining oil painting and Chinese painting She uses techniques in mixed media with oil, ink, and watercolor. The illustrations bring the story to life and help the reader understand what the objects in the story are. For example, the picture above helped me understand what it meant to see lanterns outside. 

This book is appropriate for Kindergarten or preschool. It would be great as a read aloud or as a one on one reading. I would use this book as a way to start talking about China. I would show my students China on a map and talk about the objects in the book during social studies. On the sheet of prepared chart paper with the question "What other round things do you see?" create three columns with the following headings: "Book," "Classroom," and "Outdoors." Send a note home to families explaining that the children have been learning about circles, squares, and rectangles. Tell parents that the students have been asked to draw pictures of round objects that are found in their homes. Request that parents encourage their young ones to draw their pictures by themselves. Parents can assist with writing the names of the round shapes they have drawn. Provide the children with drawing paper to complete their take-home activity. Invite them to share their drawings during meeting time. Compare differences and similarities. Compare round items found in their homes with round items found in the book. http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/round-mooncake-lesson-plan

Satchel Paige: Don't Look Back

Satchel Paige: Don't Look Back

Author: David A. Adler

Illustrator: Terry Widener

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Copyright: 2007

32 pages

Genre: Biography

 

I chose this book because I wanted to blog about a piece of literature that would be interesting to boys. Most of the time I gravitate towards books that I like as a girl, so sometimes it's good to go outside of your comfort zone and read something new. I liked the cover of the book and the way the illustration looked. I don't know a lot about baseball so I thought it might be nice to learn about it. 

 This story is about Satchel Paige, who was a great baseball player. However, in 1920 African Americans were not allowed to play in the Major Leagues. This book tells about how Satchel Paige never gave up and kept going until he broke the stereotypes.

The medium used in the illustrations were done in Golden acrylics on Strathmore bristol board.The illustrations really capture the expression of the characters. I love the details in this story told through the pictures. Most of the pictures show the baseball field, but I particularly enjoy the ones of his home. I love the shadows of people inside. It really brings the story to life. 

This story would interest students in third to fifth grade. It is on a 5.1 grade level. This could be used in a classroom while learning about the 1920's and how African Americans had to slowly earn their rights. I could see this as a featured book during Black History Month. You could write a story from the view point of Satchel Paige. I also like the idea of creating a scrapbook page for a historical figure. Terry Widener has earned numerous awards, including a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, and an ALA Notable Book.

Baby Bear Book Trailer

Baby Bear 

Words and Pictures by Kadir Nelson

Published by Balzer+Bray 2014

Genre: Fiction, Picture Book

Awards: This title has not received any awards yet for this new book. However, Kadir Nelson won the 2012 Coretta Scott King Author Award and Illustrator Honor for Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans. He received Caldecott Honors for Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine and Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford, for which he also garnered a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award and won an NAACP Image Award. Ellington Was Not a Street by Ntozake Shange won a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award. Nelson's authorial debut, We Are the Ship, was a New York Times bestseller, a Coretta Scott King Author Award winner, and a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor book.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 

by J.K. Rowling

Illustrator: Mary GrandPre

Publishing Company: Scholastic

Copyright Date: May 1st, 2004

435 pages

Genre: Fantasy

I chose this book because I have been a lifelong fan of Harry Potter. It's safe to say I'm mildly obsessed. Of the early books, this one is where the story begins to be a little more grown-up, which is why I like it. Harry has already survived attempted murder several times, and now the prisoner Sirius Black has escaped from the wizard prison, Azkaban, and is coming after him! Harry has to deal with all of that, plus mean teachers, bullies, and the many problems that come with being 13. There may even be a traitor in his circle of trusted friends...

This book's only illustration is the cover. However, the illustrator used pastels and soft geometrical shapes to create this beautiful artwork. It is very whimsical and appealing for a child. Just from the one picture you are intrigued by the story. You see Harry riding the hippogriff, which ends up being a large part of the story. You can also see the shadow of Sirius Black in the lower left hand corner. It has a lot of foreshadowing based off of this picture.

I think this is a wonderful book for children, teens, and adults. It is recommended for grades 3rd to 7th and is on a 5th grade reading level. I think it would magical to use this book as a daily read aloud in a higher grade classroom. 

 

You could study Harry Potter when learning about character traits, and do a poster project for different characters in the book. You could also do a novel study on this book and character profile analysis cards (which is a Common Core Standard).   https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Harry-Potter-Character-Profile-Analysis-Cards-JK-Rowling-Common-Core-815501 

Awards:

Bram Stoker Award for Best Work for Young Readers (1999), Hugo Award Nominee for Best Novel (2000), Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel (2000), Whitbread Award for Children's Book of the Year (1999), Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature (2008)

Smarties Prize (1999), Books I Loved Best Yearly (BILBY) Awards for Older Readers (2005), Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award (2004), Maine Student Book Award (2000), Golden Archer Award for Intermediate (2001), Indian Paintbrush Book Award (2004), Soaring Eagle Book Award (2002), Hotze de Roosprijs (2001)

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