Sunday, May 4, 2014
Module 14
Take Me Out of the
Bathtub
Summary:
Alan Katz takes little songs that most people know and puts
a new twist on them. Such as “Take me out of the bathtub”, which tells the
story of a little boy who has had enough fun in the tub, “Stinky, Stinky Diaper
Change,” which tells the story of a little boy and his baby brother, and a song
for bedtime called “Go Go Go to Bed.”
Katz, A. (2001). Take me out of the bathtub.
New York: McElderberry Books.
My
Thoughts:
I
really enjoy this book. I use it to teach rhyming and poetry. The kids love the funny songs and poems. I
like them because they are song that I know but with new words. In my class, we
use “Take Me Out Of The Bathtub,” “I’m Still Here in the Bathtub,” and around
Christmas I read, “Where Did They Hide My Presents?” I can also introduce the real songs as
preparation for the funny lyrics in the book.
Review:
In
the tradition of Betsy and Tacy, Ginnie and Geneva, come two new friends, Ivy
and Bean. Ivy has just moved in across the street from Bean, who wants no part
of her. She thinks Ivy looks dull, always with her nose in a book. Bean, on the
other hand, is a spark plug; she’s full of tricks, especially ones that can be
played on her older sister, Nancy. But the day Bean pulls a trick that goes
wrong and Ivy comes to her rescue, a friendship is born. The deliciousness here
is in the details, with both girls drawn distinctly and with flair. Ivy, who at
first seems to be a dud, has aspirations to being a witch, which is dangerously
intriguing; Bean’s spunky way of talking and acting (there’s a classic moment
when she wiggles her butt at Nancy) will make readers giggle. Even with all the
text’s strong points, what takes the book to a higher level is Blackall’s
artwork, which captures the girls’ spirit. A chapter from the second book in
the series, to be published in this fall, will whet readers’ appetites for more
Ivy and Bean. — Ilene Cooper
Peterson, L. (2001, July 1). Booklist Review.
Retrieved from Booklist Online:
http://www.booklistonline.com/Take-Me-Out-of-the-Bathtub-Alan-Katz/pid=1098610
Activities:
Read Aloud
Module 13
Junie B. Jones and the
Stupid Smelly Bus
Summary:
Junie B. Jones was so excited
about going to kindergarten. She met her teacher and new friends. She loves
everything about school except one thing… THE SCHOOL BUS. She does not like the
bus and does not want to ride the bus so one afternoon she hid in the suppy
closet to keep from having to ride the bus but the results are not what she
expected.
Citation:
Park, B. (1992). Junie B
Jones and the stupid smelly bus. New York: Random House.
My Thoughts:
Junie B. Jones is a precious
character that reminds me of my Pre-K students. I love the vocabulary that
Barbara Park uses because it is exactly the type of thoughts and comments that
my four and five year olds say and do. I
really enjoy the Junie B books because she is never a dull moment and you never
know what she is going to say or do.
Also the author covers topics that affect a pre-k or kindergarten child.
Park, one of the funniest writers around, usually reserves her talent for middle-graders. Now she brings her refreshing humor to the beginning chapter-book set. The perennial question, Will kids read about those younger than themselves? is enthusiastically answered in the affirmative in this case. It’s hard for anyone to resist Junie B. A cross between Lily Tomlin’s Edith Ann and Eloise, Junie B. (she insists on the B.) is on her way to kindergarten, but that doesn’t mean she has to go gently into that abyss. In riotous first-person she describes how she learns the concept of school busing (“WHERE’S THE STUPID SMELLY BUS GOING TO?”), meets her new teacher and the principal (“The principal is a baldy”), and makes new friends (“That Jim, I hate”). To avoid riding the bus home on her first day, Junie B. hides out under the teacher’s desk and has a very enjoyable time sticking gold stars on her forehead and writing with “Brand-new chalk that’s not even out of its little box yet!” Fortunately for readers, Junie B. is found, paving the way for another book in the series. Pencil illustrations by Denise Brunkus add to the fun. (Reviewed Dec. 1, 1992)— Ilene Cooper |
Cooper, I. (1992, December 1). Booklist Review.
Retrieved from Booklist Online:
http://www.booklistonline.com/Junie-B-Jones-and-the-Stupid-Smelly-Bus-Barbara-Park/pid=464508
Activity:
Make a tally of the number of how many
ride the bus to school.
Module 12
You Never Heard of
Willie Mays
Summary:
Willie Mays loved Joe Dimaggio. He wanted to be him. Growing
up in the Deep South was difficult. Willie loved baseball and he was good at
it. He made his way to the Negro leagues and then he made it to the Major
League. It didn’t come without struggles but it came for him. This book tells
the story of a young man that grew up with little to become one of the greatest
baseball players in Major League history.
Citation:
Winter, J. (2013). You never heard of Willie Mays.
New York: Schwartz & Wade Books.
My Thoughts:
Willie Mays grew up with a love of baseball from a
young age and a natural ability that had never been seen. I liked the way the
book showed how hard he worked and the adversity he faced to live out his
dream. It teaches the reader not to give
up on their dreams and to keep going even when hard times come.
Winter follows up You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?! (2009), a Booklist Top of the List—Youth
Nonfiction winner, with an ebullient look at another groundbreaking baseballer.
Winter’s squirming-in-his-seat excitement gives this abbreviated bio the feel
of a baseball card–wielding kid slapping his forehead in disbelief: “You never
heard of Willie Mays?! THE Willie Mays?! Oh, geez, where to begin?” How about
here: Mays is a gangly lad in Alabama who idolizes Joltin’ Joe DiMaggio, even
though blacks aren’t allowed to play in Joe’s league—“craziest rule there ever
was.” Mimicking Joe’s techniques, Willie joins the recently integrated New York
Giants at 20, lifting the floundering club to new heights before a nation that
must finally admit that baseball’s best player is black. Text boxes offer up
mind-numbing stats and fearless conclusions (“Yep, they were better,” Winter
writes when comparing the Negro League to the pros), but Winter’s forte is
describing impossible-to-describe plays: “It was hit too far, too hard, and
Willie has his back to it—lookin’ like he might run smack into the
WALL!” Meanwhile, Widener’s lumpy, blurry-edged, off-kilter acrylics are
perfect for rendering the alternately joyful and fierce Mays as larger than
life. The Say Hey Kid had style to spare, and so does this irrepressible book.
— Daniel Kraus
Kraus, D. (2012, September 1). Booklist Review.
Retrieved from Booklist Online:
http://www.booklistonline.com/You-Never-Heard-of-Willie-Mays-Jonah-Winter/pid=5629186
Activity:
Research Unit
Module 11
14 Cows for America
Summary:
September 11, 2001. Our nation was shaken to its core with
the attack on the World Trade Center Buildings.
We rally around one another. A college student from Kenya was touched
deeply by this event. When he travelled
home his people, Maasai always want to hear stories from America. He tells the story and the people are visibly
moved with compassion. They want to give
what they have.. Cows. “To the Maasai cow is life.” They called them the comfort cows and in all
they donated 14 cows.
Citation:
Deedy, C. (2009). 14 Cows for America. Atlanta:
Peachtree.
My Thoughts:
September 11, 2001 shook our country. Moved
does not even describe what I was feeling as I read this story. The fact that
this country that has very little decides to give out of what they do have and
they offer these cows. They gave the best they had. Deedy talks about how the
Maasai are fierce warriors but yet gentle when someone is in need. What a great reminder on the day of
remebrance. I really like the
illustrations because they almost look real. They did not hold back either they
gave the best to the cause.
Review:
While returning home to visit his remote Maasai village
in Kenya, Naiyomah tells the members of his nomadic tribe about America, where
he is in medical school, and the horror of 9/11: “Buildings so tall they can
touch the sky? Fires so hot they can melt iron?” What can the Maasai do to help
thousands of souls lost? Unlike in the picture book Muktar and the Camels (2009), also set in East
Africa, the tone here is too reverential, and the characters have little
individual identity. But based on Naiyomah’s true experiences, the words and
the glowing mixed-media illustrations show empathy and connections across
communities, with close-up portraits of the Maasai on the savannah at work with
their cows under the open sky, their rituals, their sorrow for New York’s
tragedy, and their heartfelt generosity. In a reversal from the usual
international aid story, here it is the U.S. that gets help from a developing
country as the villagers donate 14 sacred cows to America.
—
Hazel Rochman
Activities:
Read aloud on September 11th.
Talk
about what the students would be willing
to give up.
Module 10
Brothers at Bat
Summary:
The Acerra family had 16 children, 12 of which were
boys. They all played baseball which led
to them becoming an all brother baseball team. They played against other teams
in the area and did well. They went to
war and returned. They all grew up and had families. They faced some difficulties
but above all they were brothers and they cared deeply for one another. It was
all about being together.
My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book
because of two reasons: They were family and they played baseball. I love
baseball and family is important to me, so that is a great combination. I think
it is interseting because their sisters played with them in the yard. I believe
that it shows teamwork not only on the field but outside. It also demonstrates
a togetherness that only comes with being family. The brothers knew what each other were
thinking which made them work well as a team.
Citation:
Vernick, A. (2012). Brothers at bat. New York:
Clarion Books.
In a 1930s New Jersey
town, one family liked baseball so much that they made their own team. It
wasn’t that difficult. The Acerras had 16 children—12 of them boys. For 22
years straight, an Acerra played baseball in the local high school. In 1938,
the oldest nine formed their own semipro team. With an age range of more than
20 years among the boys, there was always another Acerra coming up. Vernick,
who interviewed the surviving members of the family, incorporates their
remembrances into this very special exhibition of family loyalty and love of
sports. The narrative takes them through their time on the field, the
dissolution of the team when six of the guys went off to WWII (and all came
home safely), and a team resurgence after the war. With plenty of highs
(winning seasons) and a couple of lows (one brother lost an eye when a bunt
went bad), the story rolls along easily. Best of all, though, is Salerno’s
fantastic art. Using a retro style that combines the look of 1950s TV
advertising (think Speedy Alka Seltzer) and the exuberance of comic-book art,
Salerno’s pictures brim with vitality. The author’s and illustrator’s endnotes
provide interesting context for this story of brotherly—and baseball—love.
— Ilene Cooper
Cooper, I. (2012, April 15). Booklist Review.
Retrieved from Booklist Online:
http://www.booklistonline.com/Brothers-at-Bat-Audrey-Vernick/pid=5053764
Module 9
Module 9
Where’s the Big Bad
wolf?
Summary:
There are many strange things happening that Detective
Doggedly just knows that Big Bad Wolf must be involved, but yet he is nowhere
to be found. However the town is having some strange visitors that always seem
to be around at each incident. Esmeralda, the “sheep” is always there to rescue
the pigs when disaster strike their houses that she instructed them to build.
One night Esmeralda got sloppy and it was revealed who she really was.
Citation:
Christelow, E. (2002). Where's the Big Bad Wolf?
New York: Clarion Books.
My Thoughts:
I really enjoy fairy tale twists such as this one. It gives
the reader an opportunity to see what if the story did not go as you originally
thought. I like a good mystery and I enjoyed the character of the detective and
just like in present day shows he was right on the verge of solving the case, just waiting for the final piece of the puzzle
to fall into place.
KIRKUS REVIEW
Three little pigs get some real bad advice from a wolf in
a real goofy sheep disguise in this comical whodunit. The three little pigs are
having their homes blown down—and escaping by the hair of their
chinny-chin-chins—and Detective Doggedly believes it might be the work of the
shiftless, no-account neighborhood wolf, the infamous BBW. But the only
character found at the crime scenes is a newcomer to town: Esmeralda the sheep.
Sure, kids will note, Esmeralda their foot, for her disguise is pretty
transparent. She has also been giving the pigs construction ideas: straw is
good, twigs are good, and cardboard’s not bad. Two cows suggest a brick house,
which foils the wolf and ends in his unveiling and incarceration. Short-term
incarceration, that is, as he’s soon back, this time tricked out as a horse,
with more self-serving recommendations: “Pick peas after midnight, when
everybody is asleep. They’ll taste sweeter.” So what if there are a few
inexplicables here—How did the wolf con his way into that hospital bed?—this is
good clownish fun, and the rough-and-tumble art keeps the farce bubbling.
Book Reviews.
(2010, May 20). Retrieved from Kirkus Reviews:
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/eileen-christelow/wheres-the-big-bad-wolf/
Activity:
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