Multicultural

The Pot That Juan Built

By: Nancy Andrews-Goebel

Illustrated by: David Diez

Lee and Low Publishing Company 2002

32 Pages

Multicultural

     I chose this book because I have used it in one of my practicum classes and the children just loved it! This is a book about a man who creates stunning pots. In this book it shows how Juan has really changed the community around him. Because of him and his pioneering work the poor village changed to a prosperous city. 

    

This book was created using watercolors. The illustrator also uses stencil-like digital drawings. The tones of each page are just glowing. The illustrations really capture the authors words. 

     

     This book would be appropriate for children ages six and up.  Teachers could use this book to teach about different cultures. A teacher could use the rhyme scheme in this text to teach about rhyming words. The students could then come up with words that accompany the words in the text. Another great activity students could do with this book would be to take the words written in Spanish and translate them to English. This book has not won any awards.  

     

Multicultural

The Thankful Book

By: Todd Parr

Little Brown Books Publishing Company 2012

32 Pages

Multicultural

I chose this book because my practicum teacher used it in one of her lessons this year in her kindergarten class. The students really enjoyed the book and the illustrations. The students even tried reading it during centers on their own. This book talks about all of the different things to be thankful for from everyday activities to family time and friends. This book inspires readers to remember all of life's special moments. 

    The illustrations in this book were created using vivid watercolors. The colors are so bright and beautiful. The pictures are created with children in mind and that is what I love about it the most! The pictures really go with what the text is trying to say. They are playful and celebratory! 

     This book is appropriate for students three to six years old. In this text it teaches children about unconditional love and how to respect the earth. It also takes the views of many different characters and reminds children to love everyone despite the color of their skin. This book would be great teaching character education. Students could also use this book to create their own "I'm thankful for" cards. Teachers could use this text in language arts. Teachers could also use this text when talking about beginning, middle and end. Students could complete a retelling rope to retell the story. This book has not been given any awards. 

Nonfiction

Tigers: The Worlds Largest Cats

By: Roni Shwartz

Asia Pacific Guides Publishing Company: 2013

36 Pages

Nonfiction

I chose this book because my son loves all informational books. He is definitely a book worm. He told me that he came across this book when researching for a paper. He said it had some great pictures in it that my students would really enjoy! This an informational text all about tigers which are the world's largest cats. This book tells every bit of information you would ever want to know about tigers. It is by far one of the best nonfiction books I have come across. 

    This book is put together using pictures taken by professionals. The book is put together just like any informational book. There are captions to go along with the pictures. There is also a glossary in the back. The pictures are large enough to use in a whole group setting unlike the other informational books I have wrote about. The medium used is pictures and text. 

    This book would be appropriate for children from about five to nine. This book would work well when teaching about wild animals in a science lesson. Teachers could also use this text when teaching about informational text. Teachers could point out the glossary and captions in the text so that the students can learn to distinguish between fiction and nonfiction. Teachers could also use this text when teaching language arts. Students could listen as the teacher reads aloud and then the students would be expected to write a shout paragraph about the content covered. This book has not won any awards. 

Nonfiction

The Best Book of Sharks

By: Claire Llewelleyn

Kingfisher Publishing Company 2005

32 Pages

Nonfiction

   I chose this book because my son loves books about sharks. He actually loves any nonfiction book about animals or history. We tend to have a collection of great informational books at home. I used this book in my practicum class and they truly enjoyed looking at the pictures! This book tells of a life below the sea. We learn about the lives of creatures people rarely see in their life time. This book tells us what sharks feed on and even how they bear their young.

    This book is a true informational book with pictures and captions. The pictures are real. They show real scuba divers and real sharks protecting their homes. The medium used is pictures and printed text. The pictures are somewhat smaller than I had hoped for. I know most children love to see the beautiful pictures. Using this with a small group of children would be better than using with a whole group. 

     This book would be appropriate for children ages five to eight. It would be great when teaching about informational text versus fictional text. Students could place the books into categories to show their knowledge. Another use for this text would be when teaching about the sea or ocean. Students could really get a feel for what goes on deep under the sea. Using this text in a science lesson would be very beneficial. Language arts would also be a subject the teacher could use this book in. Students could use this book as a writing prompt. The teacher could read it aloud and then the students would be expected to write a short paragraph about the subject matter covered. This book has no awards to mention. 

Nonfiction

Lion Who Has Never Given Up

By: Eric Russel

Little Entrepreneur Publishing Company 2013

30 Pages

Nonfiction

I chose this book because my mother who is also a teacher recommended it to me. She said that the book was especially written for younger children. Since I have been working with kindergarten children that was exactly the type of book I was looking for! This is a book about a baby lion who lives in the wild. The story talks about how the world around him truly is and how it would be if you and I were really there. There are some challenging situations for the young lion just like there will be for young children. But the lion makes it through the rough times and makes it to the good times. It is an incredible story that will grab the attention of young readers! 

     This book was created using technology. The book is for sale online in a down loadable and printed edition. The animals are rather cartoon like. You would think in a non-fiction book you would see real pictures of the animals but not in this book. I prefer a book with real pictures when speaking about the real world and especially  when teaching about it so that the children will better understand the concepts. The book does contain clear and colorful illustrations that the students will truly enjoy. 

     This book would be appropriate for children from the age of about three to about the age of six. This would be a great book when teaching about personal traits early in a child's life. Also challenging situations present themselves in this book and that too is important for children to learn about at a young age. Lessons about perseverance are taught well using this text. This is a critical lesson for a students future success. This book has no awards to mention. 

Historical Fiction

The Bravest Knight

By: Mercer Mayer

Dial Publishing Company 2007

32 Pages

Historical Fiction

I chose this book because I have heard of how Mercer Mayer is a 

wonderful author and illustrator! I have read a few of his books, one of them being, "There's a Nightmare in My Closet." When I found this book in my mothers school library I was ecstatic! I could hardly wait to read it! This book is a tale of a small child living in a fairy-tale. He imagined himself to be a brave knight thousands of years ago. Some of the bad knights were forced to pick flowers for the king, while the bravest knight in all of the land fights a fire-breathing dragon using only his slingshot.

    Mayer does a wonderful job of illustrating this book. The colors are so vivid and the pictures are great to tell this exact story. The illustrations are perfect for sharing with a group of students. I know from experience how upset a child can become if they are unable to see the pictures! The artwork is done using a double-page format. The medium used to create the beautiful artwork is watercolors.

     This book would be appropriate for children from preschool to about third grade. I love how this book can also be used across many different grades. This would be great for any teacher to have in his or her collection. This would be a great book to use when talking about history. No, the story is not true and there were not any dragons to fight but the mid evil times were real and this story tells a lot about the characteristics of this era. Students could also use this book to learn about beginning, middle and end. The students even as young as kindergarten could retell this story using a retelling rope with pictures to accommodate the younger group. Teachers could also use this book in a language arts lesson. Students would be expected to come up with their own dream that happened in the distant future. Students would be expected to create a story line as a class or individually if it was used in an older classroom. This book has no awards to mention.  

Multicultural

Lily Brown's Paintings

By: Angela Johnson

Illustrated by: E. B. Lewis

Orchard Books Publishing Company 2007

32 Pages

Multicultural

 I chose this book because of the beautiful pictures within. I love how the illustrator uses such magnificent colors to tell the story just as good as the words tell the story. This book is about a little girl named Lily Brown who paints the world around her. When she paints the world comes alive in a new and wonderful way. When she paints the trees they come alive wearing hats and bowing to her as she walks by. When she paints the sun it turns into stars that fall beside her as she flies. It is a beautifully written story.

     The illustrator, Lewis, paints vibrant pictures with watercolors to capture Lily in a realistic style. Lewis uses the watercolors to paint the trees and fruits in a completely different style. He makes them look very charismatic and very artistic. I love the vibrant colors and the way the illustrations radiate such energy!

     This would be appropriate for a child in preschool to about the third grade. I love that this is a book that can cover a wide range of ages appropriately. This would be a great book to use in character education. The students could paint their own pictures and relate the painting back to how the character acts and feels. This would also be a great book to use in language arts in an older classroom. Students could use the book like a writing prompt and write a paragraph telling of something they would paint and what the painting would do as if it were alive just like in the story. Would the trees bow to them, would the fruit come alive? Another activity related to this book would be great to use with an art activity which would get the students really thinking out side of the box! How were the colors made? How did the illustrator make such beautiful and vivid colors to make this book? Those would be some great questions for the readers to think about! Although the illustrator has won many awards for his work this book has no awards to mention.