The Awesome You That You Are

A Bad Case of Stripes

Written and Illustrated by: David Shannon

Scholastic Inc., 1998

32 pages

Modern Fantasy

A young girl, Camilla Cream, loved lima beans. Her friends did not, so Camilla refused to eat them; she wanted to be like them and would do anything to prevent getting made fun of. One day, Camilla wakes up covered in stripes. Oh, no!  She is told that nothing can be found wrong with her, so she goes to school. The kids begin to call out different looks that they want her to turn into, only to find out she transformed to everything they expected out of her. The same thing happened when doctors attempted to put a name on this condition and prescribed her medicine. Will she ever transform back into the amazing young girl that she originally was? Is it so bad to be YOU?

The illustrations in this book are very bright and colorful. They are done with both watercolor and markers. The texture appears soft. There is not a real definite line around the characters and objects; it is more of an assumed line. The facial expressions and body languages in this book are illustrated very vividly. 

I chose English Language Arts as my subject and third grade as my level. I would have the students illustrate themselves as they are now and the versions of themselves that others have expected them to be, whether it was to be more taller or more pretty or athletic. I would do this and teach the importance of self-identity and being who you are. If you like lima beans, eat lima beans!

  

Make Your Mooove

Click, Clack, Moo

Cows That Type

Written by: Doreen Cronin

Illustrated by: Betsy Lewin

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2000

32 pages

Modern Fantasy

What happens when cows get access to a typewriter? The cows and hens in Farmer Brown's barn got cold at nights and desired to have some electric blankets to keep warm. They decided to correspond by letter with their owner. When Farmer Brown turns down the electric blankets, the cows and hens decided to close down and provide no milk or eggs. Farmer Brown gives in and gets them the blankets, but it appears that this will not be the last of his purchases.

The artist did brush drawings using black watercolor and then applied watercolor washes to the black drawings. The illustrations are colorful with bold lines outlining them. The artist represents all types of lines: straight, curved, jagged, soft, and bold. The texture seems very soft.

I chose English Language Arts as my subject and Kindergarten as my grade. I would bring a typewriter (if possible) or some sort of keyboard and cups to put over their hands. I would allow the kids to attempt to type with the cups on their hands to have an understanding of what it was like for the cows to type. This would also allow kids to recognize their letters and how they make different words. This would be a fun activity that kids would want to be involved in. 

  

Be True to You

Book Talk 1 on Franklin

Dark Clouds

Michael Rosen's Sad Book

Written by: Michael Rosen

Illustrated by: Quentin Blake

Candlewick Press, 2004

32 pages

International Fiction

Michael Rosen is a very sad man.His son died and he just does not understand why. He tries to wear a smile to appear happy, but underneath is a broken and lonely man. Sometimes the sadness wraps itself completely around him and he just wants to be by himself and mourn on his own. He tries to do things to take his mind off this burden, but sadness always finds its way back. Will Michael be able to live again or will he remain in the shadows of his son's death?

The illustrations are depicted through the use of watercolor and ink. The colors are light and simple, but with a certain darkness to embody his sadness. The lines are imperfectly drawn with curves being their main characteristic in the book.

I chose English Language Arts for my subject and second grade as my grade level. Michael Rosen wrote a poem about sadness on page 17 of the book. I would instruct my students to write their own simple poems about it to work on their writing and poetry skills.

 

Kindness is Key

Curse in Reverse

Written by: Tom Coppinger

Illustrated by: Dirk Zimmer

Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2003

40 pages

International Fiction

Agnezza, an old witch, visits the town of Humburg. She is in need of a place to stay but gets rejected time after time by people. These people are not just any people, they are wealthy people with plenty of room to let Agnezza in; the issue is that they "do not like witches." With hurt in her heart, she places a curse on each person. She comes up to a small house owned by Mr. and Mrs. Tretter. They let Agnezza in, feed her, and give her a bed to sleep in. This couple did not have much; they had one bed and limited food. They have longed for a child but have not been able to have one. Because of their kindness, Agnezza puts a curse on them, a curse in reverse. She calls it "The Curse of the One-armed Man." Why would she curse them if they went out of their way for her? Mr. and Mrs. Tretter have a child but are in fear of this curse to reveal itself. What will happen to this new family?

The illustrations in this book are created with pen, ink, and watercolor. The texture is rough and scratched. A wide variety of color is used. The lines are curved, straight, curly, and jagged.

I chose mathematics as my subject and Kindergarten as my grade. I would have the kids work on their counting by having them count up amounts of certain objects on pages. For example, I would have them count the number of birds on pages 1 or 11. I could have them count the stars on pages 5 or 6. I can also ask how many animals they see on page 16.

 

 

Raise Your Voice

Sélavi, A Haitian Story of Hope

Written and Illustrated by: Youme Landowne

Cinco Puntos Press, 2004

40 pages

Multicultural Fiction

Sélavi is a homeless little boy that lives on the streets of Haiti. His family was torn apart by people with guns and his house was burned in the process.  Sélavi bounces from place to place in search of food and shelter, until one day a boy his age comes to him and offers him a place to stay. Sélavi accepts the offer thankfully, only to find that he is not alone in his struggle. When he gets to the tree that he will be sleeping in, he meets many kids that are all there just trying to make it through each day like him. One day, something happens that puts them back on the streets without hope once more. Separate, their voices are not loud, but together they can change the world, and that is just what they do. By expressing their need for help and a home, people take appropriate actions to meet their needs. These people provide more than a home; they provide hope. But will this hope get ripped apart just like every time before?

The illustrations are very colorful and vibrant with a soft texture. They are done in paint. At the back of the book, real photographs of Haitian children are shown. The lines in this book are light and vary between straight and curved.

I chose English Language Arts as my subject and second grade for my grade level. After reading the story, I would put my students in groups at their tables. I would spread out pictures of events from the story and have them sequence them in the order they occurred. We would read back over the book to see if they have the pictures in the correct order. 

 

Wings to Fly

Bird

Written by: Zetta Elliot

Illustrated by: Shadra Strickland

Lee & Low Books Inc., 2008

48 pages

Multicultural Fiction

Mehkai, known as Bird, has a passion for drawing; he likes to draw what he sees so he will always remember them. Bird goes through many life struggles throughout the book; his grandfather has recently passed and his brother is addicted to drugs. When Bird's granddad passes, his granddad's friend, Uncle Son, takes over and takes care of Bird. Bird's brother, Marcus, becomes overly addicted and "sick" that he no longer lives at the house and is of very rough health. Like his drawings, Bird wishes to erase Marcus' sickness and fix him up. But is it really only as simple as that?

The illustrations are a combination of watercolor, gouache, charcoal, and pen. Some of the illustrations are visuals of Bird's drawings of how he sees things. The texture appears to be very soft. Lines are used heavily in this book; they are curved, straight, thin, and thick.

I chose English Language Arts as my subject and first grade for my grade level. I would instruct the students to flip through the book and identify feelings and senses portrayed throughout it. I would have them think about their own emotions and feelings to certain circumstances and compare/contrast them to those of the characters.