This Little Piggy's Book of Manners- Concept Book 2

This Little Piggy’s Book of Manners

By: Kathryn Allen Illustrated by: Nancy Wolff

Genre: Concept Book

Award: N/A

Grade Level: I would utilize This Little Piggy’s Book of Manners in a kindergarten classroom because the concepts discussed in this book are about the manners students in kindergarten often forget, so the playful tone of the book should encourage students to be polite. The word choice and text of the book is at an appropriate level for kindergartners, and I believe the details of the illustrations will keep the students entertained and interested. The concepts in the book are more than appropriate for a school setting because the book reviews manners and behaviors that are ideal for students.

Summary: This Little Piggy’s Book of Manners is a concept book comparing the behaviors and mannerisms of two pigs throughout the story. The first pig will be shown demonstrating appropriate polite behavior, with the following page showing the second pig demonstrating the complete opposite behavior and the consequences. Specific manners taught in the book include saying please and thank you, cleaning up after yourself, sharing, and speaking kindly to others. The vibrant colors used in the illustrations, as well as the unique texture of each character gives the book a whimsical feel almost comparable to The Stinky Cheese Man. I believe that the illustrations are expressionistic art in that the exaggeration of certain details, and vibrant colors used allow the author express her message in both text and media. Through using expressionistic art, students can gain a deeper understanding of the context of the book.

Classroom Strategies:

During a classroom discussion, allow students to fill in a Venn diagram comparing the two pigs in the story by brainstorming ideas together. This activity will stress the importance of the concepts taught in the book because the outcomes for the polite pig were far more desirable than those of the ‘bad’ pig.

To build upon background experiences and to allow children to build their scaffolding instruct students to create a list of other stories that the book reminds them of. This could range from The Three Little Pigs since the main characters were pigs, or even the children’s nursery rhyme Row Row Row Your Boat, because the some illustrations include text on them, that nursery rhyme can be found on the chicken on page ten.

ESOL: The classroom strategies listed incorporate cooperative learning, identifying main ideas, showing patterns, Venn diagrams, use of student’s experiences, brainstorming, and graphic organizers.

Read Aloud: I would read pages 19-22 to a kindergarten class because the pages relate to each other and the illustrations are not as detailed as others throughout the story. I selected these pages specifically because when observing the illustrations throughout the rest of the book I believe students are going to want to know what all the text says, even the text utilized in the character illustrations. These pages have the least amount of unnecessary therefore the students will not feel as though they are missing a part of the plot. Additionally, the concept discussed on these pages is to speak kindly which I would continually want to encourage in my classroom.

Personal Opinion: I really enjoyed this book more than I expected to because of the colorful, playful, and inviting illustrations and text. The concepts being taught were well hidden in a joking manner so that students can recognize the benefits of appropriate behavior without being lectured to.

The House in the Night- Caldecott Award Book 1

The House in the Night

By: Susan Swanson Pictures by: Beth Krommes

Genre: Picture Book

Award: Caldecott Medal

Grade Level: I consider The House in the Night to be at a kindergarten reading level. The word choice is straightforward and simple, with no more than eight words appearing on a page. Additionally, thanks to the books full circle ending, students can comprehend the message since the sequence of events in the book is repeated twice. Specific background knowledge is unnecessary in this book, and an interest in night time stories would be ideal for the student audience.

Summary: The House in the Night is an interesting tale about a sequence of events that happen in a town concerning a particular house. The book starts out by introducing the key to the house, and different objects inside that house such as a key, lights, a child, and a special book about a bird. The rising action depicts the bird from the book taking the child on an adventure through the sky to visit the sun, moon, and stars. When the bird and child return to the house the reader is reintroduced to the elements of the house in a full circle ending of the book. Krommes really utilizes illustration elements such as line and color in this book to emphasize important objects and to set the mood of the story. With a mixture of horizontal, vertical, and diagonal as well as, dark and pale lines, the reader can connect to the texture of the illustrations which give the book an element of reality. The illustrations in the text are predominately black and white with focal points of warm yellow to emphasize the text of the book.

Classroom Strategies:

To reinforce plot themes in the book and to expand upon student background knowledge, introduce Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night to the class. Ask the students how they could make the painting part of the story and what that page would say. Ask the students if they would change anything about the painting to make it uniform with the book, to note whether the students comprehended the illustrations in the text.

Have the students fill out a sequence chart about each object introduced in the story. For example, on the left side of the chart will be ‘key’ because that is the first object introduced in the story. On the adjacent right side students should fill in ‘house’ because that is the second object introduced in relation to the key. The chart will continue on with ‘house’ in the next left column and students filling out ‘light’ in the right one and so on (students should also recognize a building pattern). This will allow the students to practice their ordering and time sequencing skills.

ESOL: The classroom activities provide great opportunities for ESOL strategies such as the utilization of flow charts, repetition/rephrasing, showing patterns, and time lines.

Read Aloud: I would read pages 1 through 20 aloud to the kindergarten class because it is the whole first half of the book, and the remaining pages are a repeat. By reading the first half students can utilize their auditory comprehension skills and by reading the repeating last half, students can practice their visual reading and comprehension skills, therefore using two learning skills for one book.

Personal Opinion: When considering The House in the Night, I did enjoy the repetitive nature and can appreciate the illustrations and their use of color, line, and texture. Throughout the book the sentences flowed from each page, and even became almost ‘sing-song’ like.  The illustrations and color usage kept the reader guessing as to what the illustrator wanted highlighted in the story to emphasize its importance.

Kitten's First Full Moon- Caldecott Award Book 2

Kitten’s First Full Moon

By: Kevin Henkes

Genre: Children’s picture book

Award: Caldecott Medal

Grade Level: Kitten’s First Full Moon is a great book for Kindergarteners because the pictures portray the text and aid the students in reading. The word choice is appropriate for students of this grade level and prior knowledge is unnecessary for this book. Students may have trouble with the larger words such as ‘bumping’ and ‘banging’, but as long as they understand the ‘ing’ ending in words they should be able to comprehend the story.

Summary: Kitten’s first full moon is about Kitten, the main character, on a particular night where she mistakes the full moon as a bowl of milk. Throughout the story she does all she can to get the bowl of milk like chasing it, climbing to it, and even trying to lick it, yet the bowl of milk stayed waiting. Poor kitten even mistook the moons reflection in a pond as a bowl of milk and leaped right into the water. After being drenched in water Kitten returned home only to find a bowl of milk waiting for her on the porch. Kevin Henkes utilizes white space and black and white illustrations to emphasize the time of day of his story. The composition of the illustrations in relation to the text shows the playful nature of the book.

Classroom Strategies:

While reading the book aloud to the class, have them actively involved by reading together the repetitive aspects of the book, such as all reading together “still, there was the little bowl of milk, just waiting,” each time kitten attempts to get the milk.

Have the students add their own element to the story by brain storming as a class another way Kitten could have attempted to get the milk. After coming up with a few ideas have the students draw illustrations to match an idea the class came up with.

ESOL: ESOL strategies identified include cooperative learning, illustrations, repetition/rephrasing, brainstorming, and group reading.

Read Aloud: I would read the entire book aloud to a kindergarten class because it is short and a fun group reading book due to its repetitive nature. Additionally, the illustrations and text is large enough for all the students to see.

Personal Opinion: I thought this book was adorable and relatable to any student. I don’t even like cats, but the main character Kitten, won me over with her sweet naive nature. The black and white illustrations set the perfect mood for this book and emphasized the night time setting. The use of repetition showed the struggle Kitten went through to get to that bowl of milk and adds a playful nature to Kittens plight for milk.

Zelda and Ivy- (1) Geisel Award Book

Zelda and Ivy the Runaways

By: Laura McGee Kvasnosky

Genre: Chapter book

Award: Theodore Suess Geisel Award

Grade Level: The appropriate grade level for this book would be first grade. Since the book focuses on two sisters, the book is geared more towards young female readers. Though this is a chapter book, the word choice is at a low readability level and requires no prior knowledge.

Summary: Zelda and Ivy the Runaways is about to fox sisters, Zelda and Ivy, and their adventures. The first chapter discusses the sisters escape from the cucumber sandwich lunch their father prepared, and how they runaway to their backyard to hide out. The second chapter is about a time capsule the girls make, but Zelda and Ivy both put in their favorite items, so they must rescue their prized possessions. The final chapter is about a secret ‘creative juice’ concoction Ivy makes for Zelda because she cannot finish her poem. The illustrations are a cartoonist style and the thin broken lines enforce the make-believe plotline.

Classroom Strategies:

Have the students create a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting the character traits of Zelda and Ivy. This will allow the students to recognize the two separate entities of the characters and consider the elements that make up the characters of Zelda and Ivy.

Have the students write a paragraph about a time when they ‘were out of ideas’ like Zelda was in chapter three, and how the secret ‘creative juice’ concoction that Ivy made could have helped them. Encourage the students to be creative by using adjectives.

ESOL: ESOL strategies used for this book include having the students compare and contrast, use graphic organizers, creating a Venn diagram, and the students using their own experiences.

Read Aloud: I would read chapter three to my first grade class because it shows both sisters being creative and helping each other.  

Personal Opinion: I thought this book lacked depth and real conflict. Both of the main characters are flat in that they never change throughout their difficulties. In fact, the difficulties Zelda and Ivy face are miniscule and unimportant such as ‘running away’ or burying a favorite possession in a time capsule. Though young female readers may enjoy the story better because they can better relate to the characters and the non-serious issues they face, I did not enjoy the story.

Hurricane- Picture Book 1

Hurricane

By: David Wiesner

Genre: Picture Book

Award: N/A

Grade Level: This book is appropriate for the first grade because of its readability. It has an interesting plot line for students as well as relatable characters. Students may need background information on storms and their characteristics, but when considering Floridian students this book will be completely relatable to them.

Summary: The exposition of David Wiesner’s Hurricane introduces the book’s two main characters George and David and their cat, Hannibal, who are in the middle of a hurricane. When the hurricane passes the boys wake up to find that their elm tree had fallen into the neighbor’s yard. Upon further investigation of the fallen tree, the boys and Hannibal embark on numerous adventures like traveling to the heart of the jungle, riding the seven seas, and even journeying to the stars and beyond. The sad denouement of the book consists of George and David’s elm tree getting cut up and taken away by John’s lawn service. The book ends with a hopeful twist and the boys preparing for the next storm.

Classroom Strategies:

Instruct the students to turn to page six and consider all the descriptions stated on the page. Have the students chose one of the descriptive situations to illustrate themselves. For example: “It looks like a green blizzard!” or “sustained winds of fifty miles per hour, gusting to ninety” could be drawn by students in their own perspective.

Ask the students to consider if/how the story would be different if George and David experienced a flood as opposed to a hurricane. Have them create an illustration and a summary of what they think would happen.

ESOL: The ESOL strategies used in the classroom strategies include illustrations, predicting, summarizing, and brain storming.

Read Aloud: I would read page six to my students, so that while reading all the descriptive lines I can emphasize how David Wiesner’s use of language really paints a picture in the readers mind. While reading I would ask the students to picture the scenarios in their mind to gain a better understanding of the book and help with the classroom strategies activity.

Personal Opinion: This book was unexpected in that the title and cover suggested that the main focus of the story would be about a hurricane. Although a hurricane was a crucial element of the story, it was only discussed in the exposition and at the end of the book. I thought Hurricane was heartwarming in that the brothers, George and David,  got along so well and really played off each other’s imagination.

June 29, 1999- Picture Book 2

June 29, 1999

By: David Wiesner

Genre: Picture Book

Award: N/A

Grade Level: Considering the advanced vocabulary and the need for specific scientific knowledge of this book, I would say this book is appropriate for third grade. Students need to know the basics of growing plants, geography, and the accompanying vocabulary. Most students will need to know how to use context clues and be inclined towards science fiction books.

Summary: June 29, 1999 is a picture and science fiction book whose plot focuses on the main character, Holly Evans and her science project that went awry. The exposition starts out with introducing Holly and her science experiment in which she studies the effects of extraterrestrial conditions on vegetable growth and development. About a month after starting her project, reports around the world spring up about giant vegetables in the sky. After discovering that some of the giant vegetables that are being discovered were not involved in her project, Holly concludes that her project is not responsible for the giant vegetables, but continues to question where these veggies are coming from. At the end of the book the climax hits its peak and the reader discovers that the giant vegetables floating down to Earth are actually from an alien starcruiser, whose inhabitants have now lost their food supply.

Classroom Strategies:

To increase comprehension of the book and vocabulary skills, have students create a personal dictionary identifying and defining the words from the book that they did not know.

Have students take a picture walk through the book before reading it. Allow the students make predictions about what they think will happen and what clues from the story led them to make those predictions. Finally, ask students if they have had any experience with growing vegetables, and what the growth process included.

ESOL: Through the use of these classroom strategies ESOL students can practice their predicting skills, identifying main vocabulary, using illustrations to make predictions, and using student’s experiences.

Read Aloud: I would read pages nine and ten aloud because while reading, I would put emphasis on the alliteration used in the story to show the humor of the book.

Personal opinion: Although I am not a science fiction fan, this book presents its scientific topics in a fun humorous way. The plot keeps the reader guessing as to where these giant vegetables came from. The alteration and ‘funny’ names of the vegetables and geographical locations used show the mood of the book, in addition to the bright hopeful colors. All around I enjoyed reading this book.

Tuesday- Picture Book 3

Tuesday

By: David Wiesner

Genre: Picture Book

Award: Caldecott Medal

Grade Level: I would consider this book to be an appropriate reading level for Kindergarten.  The book does not require building upon prior knowledge, except for the way the natural world operates. Text is not a major element of this picture book, but careful observation and comprehension of the illustrations is necessary.

Summary: Tuesday by David Wiesner starts by introducing the setting: Tuesday evening in a swamp. The story continues to show the adventures of the flying frogs from the swap. Throughout this particular Tuesday night the frogs fly to a town where they interrupt a young man’s dinner, intrude upon an elderly woman watching T.V., and terrorize a dog. When Wednesday morning approaches it seems as if the frogs lose their ability to fly, and must make their way back to the hum-drum life back in the swamp. Authorities of the town are confused by the lily pads strewn across the streets and the eyewitness tales from the affected townspeople. The book ends on a cliff hanger by introducing next Tuesday at a barn, where we can observe the saying “when pigs fly.”

Classroom Strategies:

Split the class into small groups and assign each group a page from the book where they create the text for the story. Allow each group to present their page and accompanying text in sequential order, to assess whether the student understands of the story. This activity also allows students to witness different outlooks their peers may have about the book.

Another activity students at the kindergarten level can complete while discussing this book is visualizing themselves as a character in the book. Have the students write a paragraph in the perspective of if they were a magical flying frog from this Tuesday and what they would do throughout the night. This activity enforces students to recall events that took place in the book and how they would adapt it to themselves.

ESOL: The classroom strategies identified in this book allow ESOL students to participate in cooperative learning, small groups, and group reading. These ESOL strategies are crucial to students because they can witness communication elements portrayed by peers, voice their opinions in a non-pressured environment, and work cooperatively with others.

Read Aloud:

The pages I would ‘read aloud’ are 27 and 28, where town officials become involved in the incident. I would read these pages to the class because many comprehension activities can be done with these two pages. For example, ask the class how they would explain the incident to the police, or if they were a police officer what clues they would use to determine what happened on that Tuesday night.

Personal Opinion: Tuesday by David Wiesner is an excellent picture book, with very detailed illustrations and limited text. I enjoyed the playful nature of the book, and loved the realistic expressions of all the characters. Wiesner’s use of color plays a significant role to the time of the book which any student can recognize.