Archive for Fiction

Christmas Wombat

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Written by Jackie French

Illustrated by Bruce Whatley

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What’s more fun than a small, furry animal, especially one that is a bit feisty and confronts animals much larger than it is? It’s doubtful that many first graders in the U.S. have heard of wombats, so this is their opportunity to learn a little about them.

Apparently, wombats sleep, scratch, and eat grass and carrots. This particular wombat has never heard of Christmas, nor encountered a reindeer, and he must compete with the reindeer for his carrots. He takes a nap on Santa’s sleigh and thus ends up traveling with the jolly man and eight not so tiny reindeer. It’s not a problem as long as the carrots keep coming, though. Carrots are everywhere and easy to find with the reindeer’s help. Even the snowman has a carrot – for a nose. And the toucan’s nose – or bill – at least looks like a carrot.

Many of the illustrations are laugh out loud funny. The cover picture, a wombat with a red clown nose and antlers, standing amid gifts and a bag is perfect. The wombat thinks a chimney is a wombat hole and enters eagerly. Then, he needs help getting back up. The picture of the wombat standing nose-to-nose with a polar bear is priceless.

The publisher’s website, www.hmhbooks.com, has many resources for parents and educators. The author’s website, www.jackiefrench.com, has sections called “how to get kids reading” and “farming with wild animals,” both of which could be very helpful for developing reading activities. There’s no doubt a book this funny and easy to follow can increase a reader’s comprehension.

 

  • Christmas WombatTitle: Christmas Wombat
  • Author: Jackie French
  • Illustrator: Bruce Whatley
  • Publisher: Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012
  • Reviewer: Sue Poduska
  • Paperback: 32 pages
  • ISBN: 978-0-547-86872-1
  • Genre: Picture book, Holiday, Humor, Australia, Animals
  • Lexile Score: 240L
Posted in 2012, Contemporary, Fiction, Holiday, Humor tagged with ,

Snowflakes Fall

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Written by Patricia MacLachlan
Illustrated by Steven Kellogg

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This beautiful picture book brings back all the joy and excitement of snowflakes. The wonderful illustrations by Steven Kellogg show children sledding, making snow angels and leaving tracks with their little red boots.

The sparse, poetic language by Patricia MacLachlan sings the story of all the wonderful places and ways that snowflakes fall. She talks of the snow quilted meadows and covered evergreens. But mostly she talks about how beautiful each one is and how unique that no two are alike. Just like children.

This wonderful book is a project by two people who were deeply hurt by the tragedy that took the lives of so many beautiful children in Sandy Hook, CT. It is their gift to the hurting community and a gift to all who read it. Enjoying these pages helps adults to relive past snowy fun, children to expect snowy fun and all of us to appreciate each other as the beautiful, unique creatures we are.

It is a wonderful read aloud for any age.

First grade readers will enjoy seeing poetic Patricia MacLachlan’s text is and how perfectly the illustrations match it. Literacy skills abound beginning with the parts to whole relationship as she talks about the fur on the dog and the tongues of laughing children. The story contains many beautiful similes for readers of all ages to admire. This book will be a treasure to read year after year after year and will always bring a smile to everyone’s face.

  • Snowflakes FallTitle: Snowflakes Fall
  • Author: Patricia MacLachlan
  • Illustrator: Steven Kellogg
  • Publisher: Random House, 2013
  • Reviewer: Elizabeth Swartz
  • Format: Hardcover, 32 pages
  • ISBN:  978-0-385-37693-8
  • Genre: Picture Book Realistic Fiction
  • Grade level: First up
  • Extras: Teaching Tools Available at RHTeachersLibrarians.com
Posted in 2013, Contemporary, Fiction, Imagination tagged with , ,

Kangaroo’s Out of This World Restaurant

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Written & Illustrated by Eva M. Sakmar-Sullivan

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In the Australian Outback, Kangaroo wallows in misery and complains she’s worthless. Why Kangaroo feels this way is unclear, but wise old Koala hobbles into the picture with his cane and gives Kangaroo advice: “Everyone has something to offer. You just have to find it.” All Kangaroo can do is jump, so she does, higher and higher until she reaches the moon. When she lands on the moon’s surface, she’s delighted to discover it’s made of cheese and tastes great, too. She loads up her pouch with cheese and brings it back to Earth to share. Her furry friends love the moon cheese so much that Kangaroo bounces them back to the moon for more, and she opens up a restaurant (hence the title). She also becomes a taxi service, transporting her friends whenever they have a hankering for this out-of-world snack. Kangaroo has found her calling and her true happiness.

This didactic tale relays a positive message for the first grade and under crowd, but Sakmar-Sullivan’s strengths really lie in her art: big shapes and bright, bold colors that pop off the page. Inside the back cover, there’s a full-page spread, which identifies all featured creatures as native to Australia, and the author suggests a reading activity (i.e. find the platypus, the dingo, the numbat, etc.) I do think her impressionable audience could have benefited from another extra, though, explaining that the moon is actually made of rock, not cheese.

Author’s website: www.stardolphin.com

  • Kangaroos RestaurantTitle: Kangaroo’s Out of This World Restaurant
  • Author/Illustrator: Eva M. Sakmar-Sullivan
  • Publisher: Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., 2013
  • Reviewer: Lauren Abbey Greenberg
  • Format: Hardcover, 32 pages
  • ISBN: 978-0-7643-4519-7
  • Genre: Picture Book, fantasy, animals
Posted in 2013, Art, Contemporary, Fantasy, Fiction, Imagination tagged with ,

When Lions Roar

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Written by Robie H. Harris
Illustrated by Chris Raschka

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Simple sentences, broad-stroked watercolors and everyday fears speak directly to beginning readers in this beautiful book illustrated by two-time Caldecott Winner, Chris Raschka.

The story is one of solving problems as the child, which can be seen as either a young boy or girl, gets scared by loud frightening noises and then just sits right down, closes his eyes and yells, “Go away! Scary! Go Away!”

First grade readers as well as second grade readers will feel empowered by learning to take control of their own fears. The everyday fears include scary animals, thunder and lightning as well as Daddies who yell and Mommies who holler.  With only three or four words per page the author has captured childhood fears in the natural world, animal world and the child’s family circle.

Literacy skills such as identifying nouns and verbs, sequencing, using picture clues and predicting outcomes can be strengthened using this book. As a read aloud it will also open the doors of dialogue with children about other things that scare them and how they overcome those fears. In like manner, it can become a springboard for art and writing activities for young students.

 

  • When Lions RoarTitle: When Lions Roar
  • Author: Robie H. Harris
  • Illustrator: Chris Raschka
  • Publisher: Orchard Books/Scholastic, 2013
  • Reviewer: Elizabeth Swartz
  • Format: Hardcover, 32 pages
  • ISBN:  978-0-545-11283-3
  • Genre: Picture Book
Posted in 2013, Art, Contemporary, Fiction tagged with , , , ,

In the Tree House

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Written by Andrew Larsen

Illustrated by Dušan Petričić

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In the Tree House is a wonderful, engaging picture book that succeeds at taking the reader out of her own world and transporting her into the world of an unnamed narrator; a boy who loves summer, his tree house, and his older brother.

Right from the beginning, we are welcomed into his tree house on a really hot day – hot enough to crunch ice cubes – and treated to a view of his neighborhood.  From here we are told the story of how the tree house had been built the year before.  Like many tree houses, it grew through the collaboration of a father and his sons.  In this case, it was inspired by the narrator who started making tree house plans to help him adjust to a move and a new house where he no longer shared a room with his brother.

From the tree house, Dad and his sons watched the twinkling lights of their sleepy neighborhood because the city sky is too bright for them to see the stars shine.  It was the best summer ever – full of comics, cards, flashlights, and endless hours shared between brothers in the tree house.

But this summer is different because the narrator’s brother is growing up and no longer has time for the tree house.  His brother is busy with friends and he is alone – the King of the Castle with no one to share it with – until one night when everything goes dark and a black out brings everyone together.

In the Tree House is a simple story about growing pains and the bond between brothers.  The text is plain and straightforward, relying on illustration to portray much of the emotion behind the words.  The pictures are purposefully stark, leaving lots of room for readers of all ages to fill in the blanks.  Together, the illustrator and author have succeeded in making this book both poignant and timeless.

Everyone in first grade will want to spend their summer in a tree house after having this book read aloud to the class.  Some readers will want to savor the book privately and then make plans to build their own tree house.  Older readers will be forced to reflect upon changes in their own relationships with siblings and other family members.  Still others will be touched by the notion that turning off the lights for a while can put everything into perspective.

  • In the Tree HouseTitle: In the Tree House
  • Author: Andrew Larsen
  • Illustrator: Dušan Petričić
  • Publisher: Kids Can Press, 2013
  • Reviewer: Yolanda Ridge
  • Book Length: 36  pages
  • ISBN: 978-1-55453-635-1
  • Genre: Contemporary, fiction
  • Lexile Score: 60
Posted in 2013, Contemporary, Fiction tagged with ,

Tiger in My Soup

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Written by Kashmira Sheth
Illustrated by Jefferey Ebbeler

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Take a simple story, simply told. Add to it colorful illustrations that parallel the imagination of the characters and you will get the delightful Tiger In My Soup. Sibling interaction, a love of books, and the power of imagination populate this light and frothy tale. In just 300 words the author creates a world where imagination reigns supreme and tigers roam free. Beware though. It’s such a wonderful read aloud that your voice may beg for a rest after the third, or tenth, thirtieth request to ‘read it one more time please’.

Older sister is in charge for the day. “Will you read to me?” younger brother, who is also the narrator, asks. Sister doesn’t deign to reply. Well then, brother demands lunch. She is in charge, after all. Super-efficient sister opens a can of soup, heats it, warns him that it is hot, and is back to her reading before brother can put in another plea. Hmm. That trick didn’t work either. But it is an ALPHABET soup that sister has served.

Brother, and the illustrator, are off and running. The letters R O A R are visible floating in the bowl. Maybe there is a tiger in the soup rising out of the steam…..Brother arms himself, and oh how he arms himself! a colander helmet, a spoon sword and a tray for a shield. First graders will enjoy figuring out the all kitchen gadgets that make up the weaponry.  Brother’s imaginary war is cleverly juxtaposed with sister’s nonchalance. The world may be coming to an end but I shall read on, sister seems to say.

The illustrations don’t just complement the text, they add layers to it. The cover of the book brother is holding out, and the double-page spread which begins “I hand it to her and she begins to read,” are reminiscent of the Madhubani paintings of India. Such a wonderful combination of an ancient art form and a modern sensibility: cars and boats and music and books.

Brother wages war. Sister reads on.  Does she read to him? Read the book to find out. Here’s a clue: he  does wonder where tiger will show up next. A thoroughly enjoyable addition to any reading list.
Additional Resources:

Author bio: http://kashmirasheth.com/about/index.php

Illustrator bio: http://www.jeffillustration.com/Bio.html

Madhubani paintings: http://colorofindia.com/madhubani-art.htm

  • Tiger in My SoupTitle: Tiger in My Soup
  • Author: Kashmira Sheth
  • Illustrator: Jefferey Ebbeler
  • Publisher: Peachtree Publishers, 2013
  • Reviewer: Anjali Amit
  • Hardback:   32 pages
  • ISBN: 978-1-56145-696-9
  • Genre: Picture Book/ Fiction
  • Lexile Score: 180
Posted in 2013, Contemporary, Fiction, Humor tagged with , ,

Favorite Stories from Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa

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Written by Erica Silverman
Illustrated by Betsy Lewin

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Best friends Kate and her horse, Cocoa, team up for two delightful stories in Favorite Stories from Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa.

In the first story, “The Surprise,” Cocoa shows his impatience when Kate enters the barn with a surprise package. Cocoa wants his surprise immediately. He refuses to eat his breakfast and shows his irritation when Kate grooms him. When Cocoa takes a bite out of his new straw hat surprise, Cocoa learns his lesson about being impatient and obstinate.

In “Bedtime in the Barn,” Kate camps out in the barn with her pet horse, Cocoa. Each time Kate attempts to settle down for sleep, Cocoa has a request, like fluffing his straw, hunger, or thirst. Once Cocoa is finally satisfied, Kate can’t fall asleep. Cocoa saves the day when he sings her a sweet lullaby and snuggles close to her on the straw.

The Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa series by popular duo Silverman and Lewin are familiar titles with teachers and librarians and have been reissued under the “Green Light Reader” category. The Kate and Cocoa series is a Level 2 Green Light Readers story, for those who can read with help. The most difficult word in the story is the word “curried,” used when Kate grooms the horse. With sentence brevity and simple vocabulary, children will feel great success when reading this story. This book is appropriate for late kindergarten grade level or early first grade level.

This book would be an excellent read for children who need to learn about patience. The humorous ending of the story helps children learn a lesson, but chuckle along with Cowgirl Kate as Cocoa gets his just reward for acting petulantly. The second story in the book is perfect for children who are thinking about getting a pet. Children learn about being a responsible pet owner and the needs and requirements of an animal when Kate camps out in the barn. And lastly, another bonus for reading this story is the enjoyment of the friendship between Kate and Cocoa. Young readers internalize the concept that not all best friends are the two-legged kind!

To make this book even more fun to read, readers can build a fort in the house or classroom with sheets draped over chairs or a table. Then, place a flashlight inside the “tent” and dim the lights in that area, if possible, and allow the children to read by flashlight and pretend to camp out in the barn, like Kate does.

For follow-up reading activities, teachers or parents should check out the teachers’ guide icon on the left margin of this page: http://www.ericasilverman.com/works.htm.  Also after reading the story, make a bar graph of the students’ pets. Which pet is the most popular? The most unusual? Smallest or largest? Discuss at length the responsibilities of owning a pet. Talk about the needs and requirements of the different pets in the class graph, as well as the cost and emotional responsibilities of owning a pet.

  • Cowgirl KateTITLE: Favorite Stories from Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa
  • AUTHOR: Erica Silverman
  • ILLUSTRATOR: Betsy Lewin
  • PUBLISHER: Sandpiper/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013
  • REVIEWER: Julie Lavender
  • EDITION: Hard Cover, 30 pages
  • ISBN: 978-544-02268-3
  • GENRE: Humor
  • LEXILE: 310
Posted in 2013, Fiction, Humor tagged with ,

Shadows on My Wall

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Written & Illustrated by Timothy Young

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Monsters are a familiar problem for children at the first grade reading level. Helping youngsters find ways to deal with the idea of monsters in a way that is fun and empowering for them is not easy. This book, whether used to build comprehension or as a read aloud, will help youngsters deal with some of their terrors.

Shadows on My Wall is a well-written and illustrated picture book that will capture the imagination of youngsters. It opens with a little boy’s bedroom at night, light from the streetlights shining in through the window with very creepy shadows on the wall by his bed. While it is clear these are simply spooky-looking tree branches, soon the boy’s imagination takes over and they look more like monsters to him. But maybe they aren’t monsters. Maybe they are dinosaurs, and dinosaurs are pretty cool. The boy’s imagination keeps on working and the shadows take on new form after new form until the boy makes a shadow of his own. That is the beginning of the boy’s ability to take charge of those pesky shadows. This is very empowering for little ones.

A spread at the back of the book shows several shadows children can make with their hands and how to do them. The author/illustrator has a web site at www.shadowsonmywall.com, however, there are no teaching materials there or on the publisher’s website.

There are three other picture books by the same author, two of which have monster themes.

  • Shadows on My WallTitle: Shadows on My Wall
  • Author/Illustrator: Timothy Young
  • Publisher: Schiffer Publishing, 2012
  • Reviewer: Rosi Hollinbeck
  • Format: Paperback, 40 pages
  • ISBN: 978-0764342240
  • Genre: Fiction, Imagination
Posted in 2012, Contemporary, Fiction, Imagination tagged with , , ,

Bink and Gollie: Best Friends Forever

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Written by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee
Illustrated by Tony Fucile

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Friendship trumps all. You may be tall and trying to prove your royal antecedents, or short and working to make yourself taller. There may come a hiccup or two in life, but Bink and Gollie remain BFFs.

The book contains three short stories, simply told, but not simple. The theme of this book, part of a series, is acceptance. ‘Queen Gollie’ finds Bink’s door shut to her, but Gollie is warmly welcomed. Bink’s Stretch-O-Matic just stretches Gollie’s credulity. The ending is classic: Bink and Gollie stretched out on a rug looking at the contraption.

“It makes me feel taller just to look at it,” said Bink.

“Art can have that affect,” said Gollie.

And the art that accompanies the text, deepens and enriches the stories. In the best picture books, the illustration shows a dog with an attitude or a quirk that the words don’t describe. Tony Fucile is an artist whose drawings gently nudge the story into the stratosphere, the illustrator who, you pray silently, would agree to illustrate your books. Such thought and planning has gone into the drawings. First graders will find many details: the telescope on Gollie’s balcony, the sit-out bench situated on another branch, Bink’s Bink-sized mailbox. The picture in Bink’s living room is a portrait of the inventor of peanut butter! Sly humor abounds. “Excessive assembly required” say the instructions on the Acme Stretch-O-Matic.

What a wonderful read aloud of a book for the very youngest set. The expressions tell the story, even to those who can’t read yet. “Alrighty then” may soon become a frequently heard phrase. And this is not all. The publisher has a teacher’s guide, http://www.candlewick.com/book_files/076363266x.btg.1.pdf, to facilitate discussions and reading activities.

  • Bink and GollieTitle: Bink and Gollie: Best Friends Forever
  • Author: Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee
  • Illustrator: Tony Fucile
  • Publisher: Candlewick Press, 2013
  • Reviewer: Anjali Amit
  • Format: Hardcover, 96 pages
  • ISBN: 978-0-7636-3497-1
  • Genre: Contemporary
  • Lexile Score: 290
Posted in 2013, Contemporary, Fiction tagged with , ,

Annie and Simon: The Sneeze and Other Stories

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Written by Catharine O’Neill

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Little Annie and her older brother, Simon, return in a precious story about healthy and happy, sibling relationships. Readers first met the sister brother duo in Annie and Simon, by Catharine O’Neill, released in 2008.

In this first grade chapter book, Annie, Simon, and their dog, Hazel, have four adventures. In “Living Things,” Annie draws wildlife pictures while at a lake, though Simon sometimes struggles to recognize the subject of each of his much-younger sister’s artwork.  When Simon sneezes in chapter two, Annie is convinced he is ill and wants to nurse him back to health with a story, a duck blanket, a violet hankie, and gummy bears. Once Simon is settled on the couch, Annie snuggles sweetly with him under the blanket, and he reads the story to her. The family dog, Hazel, is the subject of chapter three. Annie draws pictures of her dog until the Gray Cat Next Door wanders into the yard. Annie then decides a cat might make a better pet. When Gray Cat catches a mouse, Annie remembers how much she adores Hazel.  And, finally, in “Horse Chestnuts,” Annie and Simon collect a wagonload of horse chestnuts, only to have them stolen and buried by a squirrel.

The chapter ends with Simon kissing Annie on the top of her head. He announces, “You know, you’re my favorite little sister.”

To which she smiles and says, “I know.”

Adults will want children to read this delightful book to counteract the many stories available on sibling rivalry. O’Neill writes about siblings who have a harmonious relationship, with no jealousy, bitterness, fighting or arguing, prejudices, or favoritism. This book would benefit children who have a difficult home life or a broken home in which they’ve possibly been removed from a beloved sibling or step-sibling. This story could also help children learn to appreciate an older or younger sibling and look for the positives in that relationship.   Only-children in a family could get a glimpse into the life of two or more children families. And, this story would make a great read aloud for a three- to five-year-old child whose mom is expecting a new baby.

To amplify the theme of the story, a teacher could incorporate this reading activity: Use a bulletin board to show each child’s family tree. The child can write on strips of green paper cut in the shapes of leaves the names of each family member and the relationship and attach it to a construction paper cut-out of a leafless tree with branches.

Then periodically have children take turns standing near their tree and share something about one of their siblings, like a fun activity the two kids took part in together, what they like best about that sibling, or an accomplishment of the sibling. (For children without siblings, have them add cousins to their family tree.)

Allow and encourage the sharing time to create pride in the sibling relationship or an appreciation of the family member. This kind of activity also helps classmates learn about other families and family members, thus bonding the classmates, creating a “family-type” relationship within the classroom.

  • Annie and SimonTITLE: Annie and Simon: The Sneeze and Other Stories
  •  AUTHOR: Catharine O’Neill
  •  PUBLISHER: Candlewick Press, 2013
  • REVIEWER: Julie Lavender
  • FORMAT: Hardcover, 57 pages
  • ISBN: 978-0-7636-4921-0
  • GENRE: Family
  • LEXILE: 340
Posted in 2013, Fiction tagged with , ,
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