1st Grade Reading | Because reading changes lives

Every Day Birds

Posted on April 6, 2016 by admin Leave a comment

Written by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater
Illustrated by Dylan Metrano

Glorious cut paper illustrations of common birds jump from the pages of this delightful new poetic nonfiction book. The text is simple, with large, bold type. Birds illustrated are correctly portrayed to fit the text as well as their own habitat.

Youngsters hearing it read aloud will love the rhythm and rhyme of the poem. They will quickly learn to identify the birds and will be repeating the poem before long.

This book will be an asset to science teachers in the elementary grades and will fulfill many core curriculum standards for teachers and librarians in the areas of literacy as well as science. The art teacher or classroom teacher might well use this as an example of excellent cut paper art. Children will love making cut art of their own in school or at home to put in books or greeting cards.

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Title: Every Day Birds
Author: Amy Ludwig VanDerwater
Illustrator: Dylan Metrano
Publisher: Orchard Books, Imprint of Scholastic, 2016
Reviewer: Elizabeth Swartz
Format: Hardcover, 32 pages
ISBN: 978-0-545-69980-8
Genre: Nonfiction Picture Book
Grade level: PreK to 3
Extras: Back pages provide in-depth information about what each type of bird eats, where it lives, how it looks, or what sounds it makes. The poem is also provided in its entirety on a double paged spread at the back of the book.

Posted in 2016, Animals, Art, Nature, Nonfiction, Picture book tagged with first grade, literacy skills

Who We Are! All About Being the Same and Being Different

Posted on March 18, 2016 by admin Leave a comment

Written by Robie H. Harris
Illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott

Another in the series “Let’s Talk About You and Me.” In this trip to Funland, Harris explores the physical characteristics that make us the same and make us different. As a read-aloud, this is great for kids just learning about the wider world. Illustrated with a lot of detail, the book shows many examples. On the very first page, the reader sees a wheelchair, a stroller, and a kid riding in a backpack. Clothing is another highlight – from shorts, T-shirt, and baseball cap to a tunic, pants, and a head scarf. Bodies are big and small, all with heart, muscle, and belly button. Most with ears, nose, and mouth. Hair comes in all shades and stages of curly. So does skin. Eyes are all different shapes and colors. Skin color depends on melanin. Many characteristics come from your family. Feelings are important and are things we share with everyone. So be aware of the feelings of those around you. We were all somebody’s baby once.

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Title: Who We Are! All About Being the Same and Being Different (Let’s Talk About You and Me)
Author: Robie H. Harris
Illustrator: Nadine Bernard Westcott
Published: Candlewick Press, 2016
Reviewer: Sue Poduska
Format: Hardcover, 40 pages
Grade Level: PreK to 1
Genre: Nonfiction, Science
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6903-4

Posted in 2016, Nonfiction, Science tagged with first grade, read aloud

Alan’s Big, Scary Teeth

Posted on March 4, 2016 by admin Leave a comment

Written and illustrated by Jarvis

Be who you are and trust your friends. Those are the main lessons from this entertaining book about an alligator with false teeth.

Alan tries to be scary – just like everyone else in his family. He gnashes his razor sharp teeth at all the animals and has the frogs leaping. And the monkeys tumbling. And the parrots screeching. After a long day of scaring, he relaxes by removing his teeth, storing them in a super-secret hiding place, and going to bed. An early-rising beaver stumbles on the teeth and experiments with them. Alan’s embarrassed by not being so scary any more. He’s so embarrassed, he can’t stop crying. The other animals find his teeth for him but need assurances to give them back. So Alan has to move beyond scaring.

The amusing and colorful mixed-media illustrations make this new parable enjoyable and engaging. Great for independent reading or as a read aloud.

Maybe all these animals can’t live so closely in the real world, but first graders can still learn about cooperation and better uses for their resources.

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Title: Alan’s Big, Scary Teeth
Author/ Illustrator: Jarvis
Published: Candlewick Press, 2016
Reviewer: Sue Poduska
Format: Hardcover, 32 pages
Grade Level: PreK to 1
Genre: Animals, Interpersonal relationships
ISBN: 978-0-7636-8120-3

Posted in 2016, Animals, Friendship

Over on the Farm

Posted on March 2, 2016 by admin Leave a comment

Written by Marianne Berkes
Illustrated by Cathy Morrison

In this simple little counting book, the author reworks the song “Over in the Meadow,” into a rhyme about the animals on a traditional farm. For example:

Over on the farm

In a tree-hollow heaven

Lived a mother barn owl

And her little owlets seven

Some of the counts aren’t quite realistic, but the author takes license for the sake of rhyme and rhythm and later explains what the animals are really like. And the actions the animals take are consistent with actions real animals take and kids can identify with.

As usual, Morrison’s beautiful illustrations follow the text exactly and enhance the reader’s activities, such as counting the babies and looking for other details.

Just like the new verses to the song, there seem to be end to the reading activities available to first graders and up. Along with music for the song, directions are given for dancing to it. More Fun on the Farm makes many suggestions for further enjoyment of the story.

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Title: Over on the Farm
Author: Marianne Berkes
Illustrator: Cathy Morrison
Published: Dawn Publications, 2016
Reviewer: Sue Poduska
Format: Hardcover, 32 pages
Grade Level: PreK to 3
Genre: Music, Counting, Animals
ISBN: 978-1-58469-549-3
Extras: Music, Fact or Fiction, Seasons on the Farm, About the Animals, More Fun on the Farm (math, science, language arts, arts, From Farm to Table), Movement and Music

Posted in 2016, Animals, Math, Music, Poetry tagged with first graders, reading activities

Baa Baa Smart Sheep

Posted on February 26, 2016 by admin Leave a comment

Written Mark Sommerset
Illustrated by Rowan Sommerset

Well, I nearly giggled myself to death on that one. At least, I can imagine a first grader doing so.

When Quirky Turkey encounters bored Baa Baa Smart Sheep, Baa Baa looks for a way to alleviate the boredom. So Baa Baa convinces Quirky Turkey to eat a pile of poo, which may or may not be smarty tablets. Warning: the little twists at the end will probably cause this to be favorite bedtime reading. As the cover says, this contains mischief.

The illustrations are adorable and supplement the text well.

The language is a little beyond first grade, but the context and repetition lend themselves to independent reading on the second try, meaning reinforced literacy skills. These New Zealanders have a winner here.

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Title: Baa Baa Smart Sheep
Author: Mark Sommerset
Illustrator: Rowan Sommerset
Published: Candlewick Press, 2016
Reviewer: Sue Poduska
Format: Hardcover, 32 pages
Grade Level: K to 3
Genre: Fiction, humor
ISBN: 978-0-7636-8066-4

Posted in 2016, Fiction, Humor tagged with first grade, literacy skills

Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear

Posted on February 8, 2016 by admin Leave a comment

Written by Lindsay Mattick
Illustrated by Sophie Blackall

Winnie-the-Pooh was real? Actually, the bear he was named after was real. This story written by Lindsay Mattick, is the truth behind the bear and his name. Lindsay is the great granddaughter of one of the main characters in the whole affair, Captain Harry Coleburn.

It seems a young Canadian vet headed off to war, saw a trapper with a bear cub and offered to buy it from him for $20, which really was a lot of money back then. The young vet kept the bear, trained it, so to speak, and named it Winnie, short for Winnipeg, to help the fellows in his unit from becoming too homesick. The bear was their mascot and traveled with them until it became too dangerous. Then he was donated to the London zoo, where he was often visited by a young boy named Christopher Robin Milne. Christopher took such a liking to Winnie that he went home and named his stuffed bear, Winnie. Well, we all know what happened then.

The story is told through beautiful lyrical language as, “the train rolled through dinner…”, and difficult to grasp philosophy, “sometimes one story must end so another can begin.” It includes humor and heartbreak, but most stunningly, the truth.

The watercolor illustrations are wonderfully done to realistically show children what soldiers training for the First World War looked like and how they lived. The back of the book is a collection of real photographs of the men, the bear, and even the journal in which Harry, the vet, kept his notes. The format reminds one of the many American Heritage Girl books, which were among the first to put a story at the front and the nonfiction correlation in the back. The illustrations are so stunning, they won the Caldecott Medal for this wonderful book.

Core curriculum standards can be attained by teachers and librarians in the areas of literacy, geography and history. It is wonderful book for teachers of writing to use as an illustration of how authors use the things around them every day in creation of stories. Children, parents, and grandparents alike will delight in getting to know a little bit more about their own favorite pooh bear,

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Title: Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear
Author: Lindsay Mattick
Illustrator: Sophie Blackall
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers, 2015.
Reviewer: Elizabeth Swartz
Format: Hardcover, 56 pages
ISBN: 978-0316324908
Genre: Nonfiction Picture Book
Grade level: K to 1
Extras: photographs of the real people, real bear and the journal entries

Posted in 2015, Animals, History, Nonfiction, Picture book tagged with first grade, literacy skills

Last Stop on Market Street

Posted on February 5, 2016 by admin Leave a comment

Written by Matt de la Peña
Illustrated by Christian Robinson

Riding the bus with Nana after church on Sunday is the backdrop of this poetic story which won the 2016 Newbery AND a Caldecott honor. The story is fresh and timely. It is realistic for all children whether they live in the city or not. The little boy doesn’t want to go again, and complains about many little things we all fuss about when we are in a bad mood. Nana turns all the negatives into positives. She gently shows him how to see things differently even as a blind musician on the bus tells him to close his eyes in order to see the music.

Unlike so many books for young children that wrap everything up at the end, this book ends with a bright new beginning. He is glad they came again to the last stop on Market Street. The readers will be glad, also.

The exquisite art work is reminiscent of the cut paper art of Ezra Jack Keats, as are the bright colors and realistic neighborhoods. This book is definitely a winner and a must have for every school and public library.

Standards in the common core will be fulfilled in the areas of literacy and geography, but art teachers will want to tap into these pages for sample illustrations and/or project ideas, too.

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Title: Last Stop on Market Street
Author: Matt de la Peña
Illustrator: Christian Robinson
Publisher: G. P. Putnam & Sons, 2015
Reviewer: Elizabeth Swartz
Format: Hardcover, 32 pages
ISBN: 978-0399257742
Genre: Picture Book
Grade level: K to 2

Posted in 2015, Diversity, Fiction, Picture book tagged with first grade, literacy skills

Groundhog’s Dilemma

Posted on February 1, 2016 by admin Leave a comment

Written by Kristen Remenar
Illustrated by Matt Faulker

Ever try to please everybody? It doesn’t work, as Groundhog finds out.

He does his job, and he does it well. He sees his shadow, calls for six more weeks of winter amid thanks from some animals and complaints from others. Throughout the following year, the animals try to reward, or bribe him into “seeing” what they want him to see next year. They let him play on their baseball team, bring him treats and keep him company.

The illustrations are hilarious from speech bubbles to signs on the walls of his den stating, SAVE THE DATE, I AM WHAT I AM, etc. Soon, however, he realizes his problem and seeks out his pal, Owl for advice. He admits he has said yes to everyone else’s desires because he wants them to like him. Owl plays the part of most parents stating, “You got yourself into this, get yourself out.”

Deep inside his heart he knows spring will come when it is supposed to come regardless of what his friends want. So, he returns to being his true self, reporting only what he sees. A perfect ending follows as groundhog becomes the most important person on the baseball team. The one person who will truthfully call ‘em like he sees ‘em.

Literacy core curriculum standards like sequencing, character traits, dialogue, and main idea can be strengthened while using this text. It is a fun introduction to the phenomena of Groundhog’s Day and the coming of spring.

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Title: Groundhog’s Dilemma
Author: Kristen Remenar
Illustrator: Matt Faulker
Publisher: Charlesbridge, 2015
Reviewer: Elizabeth Swartz
Format: Hardcover, 32 pages
ISBN: 978-1-58089-600-9
Genre: Picture Book
Grade level: PreK to 2

Posted in 2015, Fiction, Humor, Picture book tagged with first grade, literacy skills

Groundhog’s Day Off

Posted on January 25, 2016 by admin Leave a comment

Written by Robb Pearlman
Illustrated by Brett Helquist

Everyone deserves a day off. Especially when no one appreciates you personally. All they care about is the job you do for them. That’s exactly what Groundhog decides. He packs up all his stuff, including his shadow, and heads off to the spa.

Helquist’s illustrations perfectly capture the expressions experienced by all involved. Especially groundhog’s surprise at hearing the televised news broadcast report stating that while many other animals have applied for the job, none could fulfill groundhog’s role. It seems his audience does love and miss him.

All readers will giggle at the antics of other animals as they audition for the job.

Pearlman ends with a humorous, if expected twist about another disgruntled holiday mascot.

Literacy and social studies core curriculum standards, as related to holidays, will be supported by usage of this delightful book. Teachers and librarians may use it as a springboard for students to write notes of appreciation to oft overlooked caregivers and school employees so they feel appreciated and loved.

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Title: Groundhog’s Day Off
Author: Robb Pearlman
Illustrator: Brett Helquist
Publisher: Bloomsbury, 2015
Reviewer: Elizabeth Swartz
Format: Hardcover, 40 pages
ISBN: 978-1-61963-289-9
Genre: Picture Book, Fiction, Holiday
Grade level: PreK to 1

Posted in 2015, Fiction, Holiday, Picture book tagged with first grade, literacy skills

Surf’s Up

Posted on January 1, 2016 by admin Leave a comment

Written by Kwame Alexander
Illustrated by Daniel Miyares

The sparse text in this delightful picture book partly serves to reinforce the wonderful illustrations. The reader meets two frogs enjoying fantastic weather and surfing conditions at the beach. But first, one friend has to finish the book he’s reading. And the book is anything but boring. But try convincing the other friend of that. The book is about a man searching for a giant whale. “Wowie Kazowie!” Kids will be drawn in by the reading frog’s enthusiasm and his vivid imagination of what the book scenes look like. The other frog learns of another way to spend a day at the beach.

This is a great book for first graders to read independently for increasing literacy skills or for a teacher or parent to read aloud with a group. Reading activities could include learning more about whales and which ones are the largest and most aggressive. Of course, kids can also learn about literature and Moby Dick, about whaling in the nineteenth century, and about why whaling is no longer a common practice.

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