In Jesse's Shoes

In Jesse's Shoes
By: Beverly Lewis
Genre: Fiction
Ages: 4-8

In Jesse's Shoes is about a girl who has a brother with special needs. Her brothers name is Jesse. Jesse has autism. At first his sister is very frustrated with him for being different. She learn learns to look at life from his eyes. All of the other children make fun of her brother. Jesse's sister becomes the only one who understands him. This is a great story to use when talking about the importance of accepting others no matter what differences they may have. This is also a great way to teach the idea that family is what matters most.


Theme:
Sometimes no one may understand you because of your differences. All it takes is one person to look at life from your eyes and accept you for who you are.


About the author:
Beverly Lewis started writing short stories and poems at the age of nine. She is a Christian writer that never meant to write to become famous. She simply wanted to write for pleasure. Her books have become well known and well liked.


Pre reading activity:
What does it mean to "be in someones shoes?" Have students make predictions. Discuss what this saying means with students.


Post reading activity:
Students write a letter to Jesse explaining why they think others should accept him and what they learned from his story.

Source used:
http://www.beverlylewis.com/ME2/Sites/Default.asp

It's Okay To Be Different

It's Okay to Be Different
By: Todd Parr
Genre: Fiction
Ages: 4-8

It's Okay to Be Different is a book about how it is ok to accept your self for being different. The author does a great job at not making something seem "normal" but instead portrays the message that it is important to accept yourself for who you are. Children will love the colorful images and fun pictures, and the lesson to be learned is priceless!


Theme:
It is important to be accepting of who you are. Be proud of yourself for what you do and who you are.


About the author:
Todd Parr is a light hearted guy who loves to entertain kids. He is not only an author but has his own TV show called ToddWorld. He says that his books are about "love, kindness, and sometimes sillyness." He is a very kind friendly author!


Pre reading activity:
What does it mean to be different? Create a web describing the different ways people can be different.


Post reading activity:
Students write about one thing that makes them different and special. Students draw an image to go along with their writing peice and share with the class.

Source used:
http://www.toddparr.com/

There's No Place Like School



There's No Place Like School
Poems selected by: Jack Prelutsky
Illustrated by: Jane Manning
Genre: Poetry
Ages: 5-8

There's No Place Like School  is a collection of poems all about life at school. The book is a collection of 18 poems written by 13 different writers. The themes of the poems range from cursive to the display of cafeteria food to the struggles kids face with the drinking fountain. Students will love the fun and light hearted themes these poems are about. The illustrations are fun and vibrant as well!

Theme:
School brings about many challenges and adventures. Everyone goes through the same obstacles at school.

About the author:
Jack Prelutsky has been writing poetry for children for many years. He is known for writing poetry that makes people laugh. He can relate to may children because when he was younger he hated poetry but once he gave it a chance he realized how fun it could be!

Pre reading activity:
Brainstorm with students themes they could write poetry about that have to do with school. Discuss with students what they would write about and how other people could relate to it.

Post reading activity:
Students write their own poem about a school related theme. Students draw a colorful illustration to go along and share their poetry with the class.

Source used:
http://www.jackprelutsky.com/

The Ugly Duckling

The Ugly Duckling
Adapted and illustrated by: Jerry Pinkney
Genre: Folktale
Ages: 4-8

This is a story about an odd looking egg that hatches into a duckling that is different from the rest of the ducklings. The other ducklings make fun of it because they say he is ugly. He runs away and is cold, hungry and lonely. When spring arrives he turns into a beautiful swan and fits in with all of the other swans. Children will love hearing another version of the classic folktale. The illustrations are beautiful!


Theme:
A folktale is a story that has been passed down for generations in order to teach a lesson. The lesson of The Ugly Duckling is that people should not be made fun of and left out just because they may be different. It is important to be accepting of everyone.


About the author:
Jerry Pinkney has been illustrating children's books since 1964. He has illustrated over 100 books and has received 5 Caldecott Honor Medals as well as 1 Caldecott Medal in 2010.


Pre-reading activity:
Write the word ugly on the board. Call on students and ask them how they might feel if someone called them ugly. Allow for a class discussion about situations they students may have been in where they did not feel accepted and have them explain to their peers how they felt.


Post-reading activity:
Students will watch the movie The Ugly Duckling. The students will be asked to look for similarities and differences between the book and the movie. After the movie the class will discuss similarities and differences between the two. 


Source used:
http://www.jerrypinkneystudio.com/frameset.html

Hurricanes!

Hurricanes!
By: Gail Gibbons
Genre: Nonfiction
Ages: 4-8

Hurricanes! by Gail Gibbons is a non fiction text that uses colorful and vibrant images along with simple facts to teach students all about hurricanes! The author writes about the different categories of hurricanes as well as how they are detected and what to do if there is a hurricane. This is a great way to incorporate literature into science. Students will love the images as well as learning all about hurricanes!


Theme:
Hurricanes are tropical storms that occur where it is warm. Hurricanes gather heat and energy through contact with warm ocean waters. These storms can be very dangerous and even deadly. We can take action and prevent ourselves from getting hurt from these storms.


About the author:
Gail Gibbons has been writing books ever since she was a little girl. She started her career doing artwork for a children's television show. She has now written and illustrated over 135 children's books. When writing non fiction texts she travels to various countries to do research. She is famous for her non fiction science works!


Pre-reading activity:
Students watch a brain pop video on hurricanes. Discuss what they saw and heard.


Post-reading activity:
Students draw and label their own hurricane emergency kit. Students share their drawings and discuss how the items can help them if their was a hurricane.

Source used:
http://www.gailgibbons.com/index.htm

All the World

All the World
By: Liz Garton Scanton
Illustrated by: Marla Frazee
Genre: Poetry
Ages: 5-7

This poetry book uses poetry to tell a story. The story begins with two children digging on the beach. It then turns into a much larger world with different families and places. As the story goes on, the lives of all the people interchange with each other. In the end, the little girl realizes that "everything is you and us...all the world is all of us." This book is a great way to show students that poetry can not only tell stories but also teach us lessons.


Theme:
Our world is much bigger than our little world we live in. Even though it may seem like we live far away from people in different countries, we come into contact with different cultures daily. Our world is interconnected.


About the author:
Liz Garton Scanton loves to write children's books because she believes children bring out the best of her. Her own daughters also inspire her work. This book also received the 2010 Caldecott Honor.


Pre-reading activity:
Students take a picture walk and discuss with a partner what they think the book will be about based on the pictures.


Post-reading activity:
Students draw their own illustrations portraying an image of the world as "one." Images will be hung for all to see.

Source used:
http://www.lizgartonscanlon.com/about_me.html

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Diary of a Wimpy Kid
By: Jeff Kinney
Genre: Fiction
Ages: 11-13

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is about a boy named Greg Heffley who receives a "diary" from his mother. He prefers to call it a journal. The entries in his journal include events from his life and his adventures with his best friend Rowley. Their first year of middle school is not easy for them. They try everything, playing sports, singing in the school play, and the wrestling team to fit in. Rowley creates a comic called "Zoo-Wee-Mama." Greg tells Rowley comics are for kids and refuses to have any part in the comic. The comic ends up being very popular and all the other students love it. Rowley gives no credit to Greg and Rowley ends up being very popular. Greg pretends he does not care but he is very upset his year long goal of being class clown went to his best friend.


Theme:
Middle school can be a tough place for students. Students not only have to worry about academics, but fitting in socially as well.


About the author:
Jeff Kinney knew he wanted to be a cartoonist since college. While in college he created a comic strip called "Igdoof." This comic strip was not too successful so in 1998 he started writing down ideas for Diary of a Wimpy Kid. After six years, he published it. It is now read by more than 70,000 kids a day! In 2006 he signed a deal to turn it into a series.


Pre-reading activity:
What is a diary? Discuss with students what a diary is and what it is used for. As a class, come up with an example diary entry about their typical day at school.


Post-reading activity:
Students will keep a week long diary of their daily events in and outside of school They also draw comics and illustrations to go along with their entries. Students share their diaries after the week has passed.

Source used:
http://www.wimpykid.com/