SIT-IN How Four Friends Stood Up By Sitting Down

Title: SIT-IN How Four Friends Stood Up By Sitting Down
Author: Andrea Davis Pinkney
Illustrator: Brian Pinkney
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company, 2010
Genre:Informational Text
Age Range: 2nd and up

Summary and Response:
"By sitting down together, they stood up for civil rights." What a fitting quote for this fantastic book! This book tells the story of David, Joseph, Franklin, and Ezell....four friends who made a big difference during the Civil Rights Movement. These four friends began what became known as the Greensboro sit-in. Their order was simple (a doughnut and coffee with cream on the side), but their goal was huge (integration and justice for all!). These four friends started a silent, non-violent protest at Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, but their impact reached far beyond North Carolina. Sit-ins begin to occur in Virginia, Tennesse, and Georgia. This book tells the story of these courageous friends in such a unique way. The authors use of recipes and the inclusion of quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. really "spice" things up! The illustrations in the book are also incredible. One of my favorite, must-check-out pages is a foldout illustration showing the success of all of the brave non-violent protesters of the Civil Rights Movement.

Teaching Ideas:
This is an excellent tool to teach about the Civil Rights Movement and non-violent change. Another noteworthy aspect of the book is its inclusion of quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and its poetic form. The book also contains a Civil Rights timeline and a note from the author, which are both MUST reads! They contain more incredible information on the Greensboro Sit-In and the Civil Rights Movement.

Check out these neat sites on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. , The Greensboro Sit-In, and other aspects of the Civil Rights Movement: http://library.thinkquest.org/J0112391/ http://library.thinkquest.org/J0112391/civil_rights_leaders.htm http://library.thinkquest.org/07aug/00117/king.html http://library.thinkquest.org/C004391F/sit-in_campaign.htm http://www.sitins.com/ http://www.northcarolinahistory.org/commentary/299/entry

Dave the Potter-Artist, Poet, Slave

Title: Dave the Potter- Artist, Poet, Slave
Author: Laban Carrick Hill
Illustrator: Bryan Collier
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company 2010
Genre: Informational Text, Poetry
Age Range: Kindergarten and up
Awards: Caldecott Honor Book (2010) and Coretta Scott King Award Winner (2010)

Summary and Response:
Dave was an extrodinary person. As a slave living in South Carolina during the 1800's, Dave managed to rise above his present postition and live a life of meaning and hope that touches us all still today. This book touches on the adult life of Dave as slave, potter, artist, and poet. Hill's language and lyrical style throughout the book add beauty to the already intricate task of making pots. Hill and Collier combine their efforts to take the reader on a journey into the life of one of the most remakable slaves in history. The text focuses on Dave's skill as an artist and as a pot maker, as well as his role as a poet. Dave's often poetic inscriptions and dates left on the pots he created are one of the most important artifacts we have to give us insight into the lives of slaves during that time. Collier's illustrations give additional clues into this time and culture of the past. This was one remakable man!

Teaching Ideas:
Not only is the text itself worth focusing on, but the informational pages in the back of the book as well as the author and illustrator notes are a MUST read! I found out so much more information not only about Dave's life, but also about how the author and illustrator came to work on and view this book. Did you know Bryan Collier took a trip down to Edgefield, South Carolina (The area where Dave lived.) to conduct his research for the illustrations? He even got to meet and watch a local potter create pottery! This book would fit so nicely into any unit on slavery. I feel that it would not only give insight into the life of a slave during this time period, but it would also give students a sense of hope and the knowlegde that they too can transcend difficult and heartbreaking situations just as Dave did.

Here are a few webites on Dave and his pottery! Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty!

http://www.usca.edu/aasc/davepotter.htm http://www.sciway.net/afam/dave-slave-potter.html http://leonardtodd.com/daves-poems_284.html http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940CE0D8173CF933A05752C0A9669C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all

Erika's Story

Title: Erika's Story
Author: Ruth Vander Zee
Illustrator: Roberto Innocenti
Publisher: Creative Editions, 2003
Genre: Picture Book, Informational Text
Age Range: 2nd and up

Summary:
Erika doesn't know her real name, her age, or the makeup or her family. The only thing she knows for sure is that on her mother's way to death, she threw her to life. Erika's family was Jewish and like so many of the Jewish people during the Holocaust,her family was mistreated and misled. Erika imagines her final days with her family. Their sadness at being forced from their home into a ghetto filled with misery and sickness. The twinge of hope they must have felt when they were told that they were to be relocated. Would this relocation be to a better place? The packed cattle car in which her parent's realization of where they were headed ultimately saved her life. It was on this train ride to death that her mother gave her life. She threw Erika from the train. Erika was taken to a kind woman who named her, raised her, and risked her life to keep her.

Response:
Although this true story is laced with sadness, it's message of hope is still able to shine through. In the midst of death and despair, a life was saved. Through a combination of extordinary circumstances Erika was saved and was able to live, marry, and have children and grandchildren of her own. When so many of the yellow star's light went out, hers continued to shine. This book is just phenomenal. It's sparing text tells the story of the horror and hope that existed side by side in those tragic years of the Holocaust. Roberto Innocenti has created stunning artwork to accompany this extrodinary story. Erika's story in pictures is told in grim shades of gray that are only relieved when Erika's mother tosses her from the train. Through a glimspe of her pink blanket on the gray background we are able to feel a glimspe of hope for her survival. The final illustration shows Erika as a young girl in a world full or color. The gray has lifted, and life (and color) have begun anew. The illustrations at the beginning of the text are haunting. The gray backgound highlights the shining yellow stars on the clothing of the Jewish people. The significance of these stars are further shown on the last page of the book, where the author has included a powerful line of text, "My star still shines."

Teaching Ideas:
This true story would be a powerful addition to any unit on WW II or the Holocaust. Be sure to notice the author's note at the beginning of the book. In this note, Ruth Vander Zee tells her story of how this story came to be.

Check out this Teaching Guide created by Ruth Vander Zee.

Blackbeard The Pirate King

Title:Blackbeard The Pirate King
Author: J. Patrick Lewis
Publisher:National Geographic Society, 2006
Genre:Informational Text, Poetry
Age Range: 4th grade and up

Summary and Response:

"Some Tales at once excite you
Some tales told twice are true.
Come with me, I invite you
Along for a ride of derring-do-
To a tale as keen as a cutlass
That no man dares impeach.
A tale to billow a pirate's sail
Is the tale of Captain Teach."

Wow! This is the invitation that Lewis gives to the reader at the beginning of the book. Who could resist?

This book takes you though the life of Blackbeard or Edward Teach, exploring the fact, fiction, and unknown. The whole book is written in free verse and each page of the book has a verse covering a part of Blackbeard's life. One of the things I found most fascinating from the book was the naming of Blackbeard's ship. The end of Queen Anne's War left many seaman out of job. It was in this time of desperation that many seaman turned to piracy. When I read about Blackbeard's acquisition of the Conqueror and his renaming of it Queen Anne's Revenge, the connection finally clicked! Blackbeard was making a statement about the state of seaman after Queen Anne's war! This book is FULL of exciting connections, facts, and discoveries. You will be able to consider Blackbeard as you have probably never considered him before.

One other aspect of the book to note is the illustrations. The illustrations are all drawings of Blackbeard that the author has assembled together. These drawings date from six years after Teach's death (in 1718) to the present. Neat, huh?

Teaching Ideas:

This book is a teacher's dream! At the bottom of every page, extra information is given that deals with the topic of the page. Also in the back of the book, Lewis includes a note from the author and a time line of Blackbeard's life. Both of these MUSTS to check out!

Here are a few websites on pirates:

http://library.thinkquest.org/03oct/00492/page51.html
http://library.thinkquest.org/J0110360/biography2.htm
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/pirates/bbeard.html
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/pirates/
http://bestoflegends.org/pirates/blackbeard.html

Happy pirating! Arrrgh!

Owen & Mzee: The Language of Friendship

Title: Owen & Mzee: The Language of Friendship
Authors: Isabella Hatkoff, Craig Hatkoff, and Dr. Paul Kahumbu
Photographer: Peter Greste
Publisher and Date: Scholastic Press, 2007
Genre: Informational Picture Book
Age Range: K-5th
Recipient of the 2008 Christopher Award

Summary:

This book retells the amazing story of two of the most unusual best friends. Owen is a hippotamus who was the only one of his pod to survive the Tsunami of 2004. Owen was rescued and brought to Haller Park, a reclaimed limestone quarry. The park workers considered their options and decided to put Owen in a boma with gentle animals. Owen immediately tried to befriend, Mzee, a grumpy 130 year old male tortoise. After only a day Mzee and Owen became fast friends. When Mzee ate so did Owen, where Mzee went Owen was not too far behind, and where Mzee slept Owen did too. Their bond became stronger as they nurtured and cared for one another. They have lived together for over a year and a half now and caretakers have noticed another unbelievable aspect of their friendship. Owen and Mzee have created their own special language to communicate. They even have a noise that they call to one another that seems to be unique to only them. People come from all over the world to see these two amazing friends, and those who can’t travel read about them in the newspapers and on the web. They have become a symbol of hope for all that were involved with the Tsunami. The book comes to a close with a new plan for these two friends. The caretakers of Haller Park are considering moving Owen, Mzee, and Toto ( a new tortoise friend) into a new part of the park to be with Cleo, another lonely hippo. It will be interesting to see what happens, and to continue to watch and learn from the true story of Owen and Mzee.

Response:

What an amazing, inspirational story for us all! We as readers can learn so much from the tale of Owen and Mzee. When life becomes difficult, don’t despair or give up; look for help in unusual places. Also friendship is vital to survival. We all need to support and care of others to help us make it though each day. Another important lesson to point out to children especially is that friendship comes in all shapes and sizes. Who could picture a more unusual friendship than Owen and Mzee? We don’t just have to be friends with people who look and act just like us. Our differences are what us loveable and unique. Also we should not limit ourselves to just one friend. We should take a lesson from Owen and claim the motto: “the more the merrier.”
This was a much different kind of picture book. I don’t usually read many informational books (I’m more of a fairy tale kind of girl), but I was pleasantly surprised to find this book not only interesting and informative, but also heartwarming and inspirational. The text did a great job of explaining and retelling the story, while the photographs added the great visuals of Owen, Mzee, and their life together. This book is a great example of what our Temple Text calls a Nature informational text. This kind of text takes the reader inside the topic for an in-depth look.

Teaching Ideas:

First and foremost, make sure to take time to explore the “more about” pages in the back of the book. These pages give excellent extra information about Kenya, Owen, Malindi, Mzee, Haller Park, and the Tsunami of December 2004.
This would be a great inspirational story to read to kids any time of the day or year. Children came learn so much from Owen and Mzee: the value of friendship, resiliency in spite of hard times, and how to celebrate our uniqueness. Be sure to check out these websites to learn more about this amazing duo.

http://www.owenandmzee.com/omweb/

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Valentine/Story?id=447923&page=1

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4152447.stm

My Tooth is About to Fall Out

Title: My Tooth is About to Fall Out
Author: Maccarone, Grace
Illustrator: Lewin, Betsy
Publisher and Date: Scholastic, Inc., 1995
Genre: Realistic Fiction, Informational
Age Range: K-1st

Summary:
In this book a young girl talks to the reader about her fears of losing her first tooth. She takes the reader through all the scenarios she does not want to happen; such as her tooth falling out while she is playing, swimming, or eating. She is so worried about her tooth falling out that she barley notices when it finally does fall out! She then talks to the reader about the difference between baby teeth and permanent teeth, what happens when you loose a tooth, and how she can now stick her tongue through a hole in her mouth! The book ends with a more positive outlook on losing teeth; she is no longer to scared to lose a tooth because she cannot wait to see how great her new “big teeth” will look.

Response:
This was such a cute book! There are so many good qualities to this book that I am unsure of where to begin. This book covers an important topic for young children. All children have a big fear about losing their first tooth (or I know at least I did). They are unsure of what to expect; they imagine all sorts of horrible things will happen to them. Some scenarios I have heard kids discuss are: “what if I swallow my tooth?” and “what if a new tooth never grows back?” This book answers all of these questions in an informational yet fun way! Kids no longer have to wonder what losing a tooth will be like; they can read this book and find out for themselves. Another great thing about this book is that it involves the reader throughout the entire story; the young girl is talking to you personally and telling you all about her fears of losing a tooth. I also like how the pictures in the book directly follow along with the text. This is great book for beginning readers, because if they forget some of the words they are trying to read they can look at the pictures for a hint. One of my favorite pictures was when the little girl holds up a drawing of herself missing a tooth. This is just such a cute realistic picture, because can’t you just imagine a child drawing this picture for you?

Teaching Ideas:
First of all, this would be a great book to assign to first graders for reading practice. Not only is it a fun read, but it also teaches kids a lot. Also, this is definitely a book I would use when addressing the topic of losing teeth. I have been in many elementary school classrooms and seen a lot of lost teeth posters (For example the teacher has a tooth with each child’s name on it and she puts a star on the tooth each time that child loses a tooth.); this would be a great book to read when introducing that to the class.

Here’s another great teaching idea from Scholastic that you could also try!

What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?

Title: What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?

Author/Illustrator: Jenkins, Steve and Page, Robin

Publisher and Date: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003

Genre: Picture Book, Informational

Age Range: K-6th

2004 Caldecott Honor Book

Summary:

This book introduces the reader to a wide variety of animals and animal parts and their functions. On page one the purpose of the book is introduced; the reader is supposed to read the question and try to guess the answer before turning the page. On some pages a question is asked such as "What do you do with a nose like this? and partial illustrations of animals are shown. On the next page the entire illustration is visible along with all the animal names and the functions of their noses. The book follows this pattern for all six questions dealing with ear, eyes, mouths, noses, feet, and tails.

Response:

I thought this was a really neat book. It is completely different from all the other picture books I have been reading. I thought it was great that this book actually taught concepts in an interesting way. Learning about animals while reading a picture book is much more fun than just reading about them in a textbook. The format and premise of the book are also great. The book simply asks a question and then answers it on the following page; it allows the reader to have fun while reading the book by introducing the guessing game concept at the beginning of the book. Any kid would jump at the chance to play a game while reading.

The illustrations for this book are beautiful! I could not believe that they are all made out of cut paper. It simply amazes me! I am not a very artistic person and it is hard for me to even draw a simple picture. So when I see artwork like this it makes me appreciate the time and the effort he put into the picture so much more because I know how difficult creating art can be. The pictures and the text flow really well together; I felt like both complemented each other and that neither one overpowered the other. The pictures are beautiful but what good are they without the words, and the words are neccesary to teach but the pictures are what really make the concepts memorable to a child. I also like the way that the text seemed to fit in with the picture. For example the text about the skunk seems to be spraying out from beneath his tail and the text about the blue footed booby seemed to jump around like he was performing a dance.

Teaching Ideas:

What can you not do with this book? Simply reading it is a teaching method; there is also a great information section in the back to explore after you finish the story that tells more information about all the animals in the book. Older students could also take other animals that they are learning about in class and use the format in the book to create their own mini story. The teacher could give them a list of animals and their body parts to focus on and the students could work in groups to write and illustrate their own books to share with the class.