Love That Dog by Sharon Creech

Only after reading this novel did I realize who the author was! Sharon Creech's Walk Two Moons was one of my favorite and most memorable reads as a elementary schooler. Love That Dog was definitely a change from Walk Two Moons but I enjoyed it just the same. I enjoyed seeing the growth of a child's writing. It is something truly special especially as a teacher to see the moment when I student truly connects to their work or finds the subject that inspires them.

Sharon Creech

Would I Ever Lie to You? by Caralyn Buehner

The silly distorted illustrations are what makes this book really interesting and make the words and story amusing. It is a story about cousins who are learning about the difference between lies and the truth through crazy scenarios.

Today I feel Silly and other moods that make my day by Jamie Lee Curtis

This book is written in a poem format where a few of the lines are rhyming. I am a huge fan of poetry and i think this is a great way to introduce poetry to them in a fun and silly way. I like that poems do not have to be serious, but can really show creativity and can be presented in many different ways. The color of this book really pops out at me and the lay out is different on each page.

Mirror by Alexandra Day and Christina Darling

One of the reasons I really enjoyed this book is because it is written as if this little girl is writing it. It uses I throughout the whole thing. She has several different experiences where what she sees in the mirror is not her reflection but several different things. I think it is a great way to think and talk about imagination. The illustrations are exquisite! The illustrations really take you on the journey with her.

Amazing Author's website!!!

This is Mary Downing Hahn's official website.  She is an amazing author who wrote several books I have read.  Her story lines and suspense are amazing!  Check it out!

http://www.childrensbookguild.org/hahn.html

Do Like A Duck Does

This is a cute story about Ducks following in line and a fox that tried to be a duck so she could have one of the ducklings for lunch.  It has sound words for kids to make the sounds a duck makes a long with you.  It is a good book for kindergarten or first graders.

Journey Home

Mai is a girl who is about to take a trip to Vietnam to help her Mom find her birth family who disappeared during the Vietnam War.  Mai is determined to help solve the mystery.  She wonders what she will learn about her Mom’s past and also what she will learn about herself.  Mai discovers that what happened in the past will change her life forever.  This is a story about self-discovery and finding oneself through family history. 

The stories I have read from historical fiction were amazing this week.  I love learning about history but learning about it through fiction was new for me.  Also learning about it from authors who have simplified it for young children was really interesting.

Patrol: An American Soldier in Vietnam

This story was written in a story-poem format to convey the thoughts and feelings of a solider who fought in Vietnam.  He is a solider that is forever changed by the death of this brother.  The author uses descriptive language to set the scene in Vietnam during battle.  This story-poem takes the reader into the forests where battle is describe from moment to moment.  It is as if you are really there experiencing the war alongside this solider.  The illustrations are done in such a way that it looks like each piece was cut out separately and then placed in the picture to create a unique illustration.  The illustrations complement the story and reflect its contents.  

Annie's Promise

This is a novel set in 1945 during World War II.  Annie is a twelve-year-old German girl who traveled to America with her family to start a new life.  She is trying to find independence from her protective parents.  Annie was sick for most of the past year so her parents have kept a close eye on her.  Annie get the chance to spend the summer at a camp called Quaker Pines with many other children from many different backgrounds.  This is where she learns about herself and her life begins to change.  This book is a good story to use to be able to understand the struggles of immigrants adjusting to life in America. 

An Ellis Island Christmas

This story was written from the point of view of a little six-year-old girl from Poland who goes with her mom and family to go join their father in America.  She describes the long boat ride and then finally seeing the statue of liberty.  Once her and family get off the ship they wait in line at Ellis Island to see if they will be allowed into America.  All of her family passes the inspection and then sit in front of the huge Christmas tree on Christmas Eve to wait for Papa.  I enjoyed this story because I am very interested in the Ellis Island experience and immigration to the United States in the 19^th and 20^th centuries. This is a story i strongly recommend.  

Finding Daddy: A Story of the Great Depression

Bonnie used to enjoy dancing while her dad played his fiddle.  Now that the Great Depression has set in her father has lost his job, then the house, and all their belongings.  Her father leaves to go find work but Bonnie and her dog go and search for him.  Along the way she finds ways to help her family.  She begins to sing in a café and people put coins in her hat.  She had to help her family.  She finds her dad and she knows things will be better now. I really enjoyed the illustrations in this book it captured the sadness and then the joy at the end through the colors used.

"We Got My Brother at the Zoo" by John and Ann Hassett

This book has a pattern of starting out by saying Did you know we got my brother from _____?  It also has further narrative to explain each different place where they got his brother.  I think I would us this as a writing prompt.  I would allow my students to start out with a similar line and then have them write to elaborate on that first line.  I could also just have them plug in different words into the question for younger grades to get them brainstorming.

"Angel City" by Tony Johnson

This is a story about a African American man who stumbles upon a baby in a dumpster.  He takes the child home and cares for him as his own.  The baby is of Mexican heritage and from Georgia so the man makes sure to expose this child with the experiences of all his different cultures and background.  This would be a good way to explain cultural identity.

"The Sound of Colors" By Jimmy Liao

This book's subtitle is "A Journey of the Imagination" and I would say that is a very good description of this book.  It is a book that follows a girl who has become blind.  She is traveling everyday and learning to experience the world how she imagines it through its colors.  It is a little more advanced picture book.  I would use this to talk about color, imagination, and possibly what it would be like to be blind.  The illustrations demonstrate play with colors which add another dimension to the story.

"Terrible Storm" by Carol Otis Hurst

This picture book was a story about two older men reminiscing about the Blizzard of 1888.  It is a story that could be used as a good example of looking at one event from two different perspectives.  I would probably use this story to demonstrate that the same event can be viewed and experienced different by all involved.

"Deep and Dark and Dangerous" by Mary Downing Hahn

This children's novel was one of the best constructed ghost stories I have ever read.  The author does an amazing job of balancing detail with plot so that children are not overwhelmed or bored by either.  The story was about the mystery of a death of a ten year old girl thirty years prior.  The dead girl's ghost appears to two children to tell the truth of what happened to her.  I would recommend this author because she is a great read and it would be a book that would keep your students hooked!