Spoon By Amy Rosenthal

Spoon

Amy Rosenthal

Scott Magoon

Disney-Hyperion

April 7, 2009

40 Pages

     I chose this book because I have enjoyed the other two books I have read by the same author. This is a text that reminds us to commemorate what makes each and every one of us so special. The book begins with spoon being a very happy go lucky kind of spoon. Then one day he starts to think. The thoughts that run through his mind are eating him up inside. He can hardly take it. Spoon seems to think that all of the other utensils have it better than him and this makes him so sad. Spoon also begins to wonder what the others think of him. That is when he learns the life lesson about why we are all different and wonderful in our own way.

     The illustrations in this book are very simple. Sketches are used to illustrate the group of spoons. Each one of them are very detailed. The use of lights to show shadows make the spoons look more alive. This book was illustrated using water colors. The colors are very cool. The use of negative space makes it look like a great book for a younger elementary school child to understand.

     

This would be a great story for kindergarten and first grade students. Reading this book to the class as a whole would allow the students to practice their great listening skills. This story is going to reassure the children that we all have wonderful traits that may be different from others and that is okay. The students would be learning a great life lesson about jealousy. The students could participate in a read aloud. The book would be a great tool to use when discussing characters, plots, themes and the setting. Using the difficult words in the book would be a great tool for a vocabulary lesson. Choosing words that seem unfamiliar to the students is a great idea. Present these words to the class before and after the book has been read. This book has been nominated for many awards but as of now has no awards to mention.

     

     

Cookie: Bite Sized Life Lessons By Amy Rosenthal

Cookie: Bite Sized Life Lessons 

Amy Rosenthal
Jane Dyer
Harper Collins

April 25, 2006
40 Pages

     I chose this book because I used to read it to my son when he was younger. He and I loved this book very much and every time I see it I think of him. This is a wholesome book about manners and what it means to respect someone or something. There is a great line in the book that tells allot about the story. What does it mean to be trustworthy? Being trustworthy means if you ask me to hold your cookie I will still have it to give back to you. This book is full of bite sized life lessons. Parts of the book even read like a dictionary. Great vocabulary words will come from this text.

     This is a beautifully illustrated book. The illustrator had great artistic style. The story looks like it was set in the past. He used folk art to share his story through pictures. Water colors were used. You can see the warm hues when you see the picture of the young girl with red curly hair. The illustrations in this book take you back to life before cell phones and internet.

     I have yet to use this book in the classroom but can hardly wait to get started. This is a great book to use with young elementary students. Lessons about having good manners and being trustworthy are told in text that a child really understands. Using this book to teach new vocabulary is a great way for students to comprehend the meanings of words like trustworthy and cooperate. A lesson for some of the older classes could be based on teaching antonyms. There are wonderful examples in the book. For example greedy and generous, proud and modest, and pessimistic and optimistic. There are actually so many different lessons that could be planned using this book. 

                                                     

Exclamation Mark By Amy Rosenthal

Exclamation Mark

Amy Rosenthal

Tom Lichtenheld

Scholastic Press

March 1, 2013

56 Pages

     Exclamation Mark was one of my choices because I fell in love with another book by Amy Rosenthal called Chopsticks. The two are similar because they both are written with learning in mind.  Each book has its own lesson to teach. Exclamation Mark is a story that talks about how it is okay to be different, unlike anyone else. Being yourself is the most important thing of all! Not only does this book tell a story about a lonely exclamation point trying to fit in. It also makes a point to teach children what an exclamation point really is and where we use them. 

     The illustrations in this book are just like the illustrations in Chopsticks. The pictures are not at all intriguing for younger children.In fact I have a hard time understanding why such simple drawings sketched by the illustrator were used like they were. The story actually took place on elementary school lined paper, that part I really loved. That is something the children can relate to.  The lack of color also makes it rather dull looking. I have heard others say how much they enjoyed the illustrations so I believe some children may enjoy this type of monotone book. Water colors were used in the illustration process of this book as well.

     This book would be great for children from kindergarten to third grade. That is when learning about punctuation should be done. So that is one of the classroom connections. Students need to learn the purpose of each punctuation mark. After reading the story aloud to the class students could do an activity as a group. Students could fill in the blanks at the end of each sentence as the teacher reads it aloud. This not only reteaches the use of punctuation but it also allows the students to learn how to be good listeners. Students could also learn a valuable lesson when reading this story. They can all learn important life lessons about fitting in and being yourself.  

Chopsticks By Amy Rosenthal

Chopsticks

Amy Rosenthal

Scott Magoon

Hyperion Group CH

January 31, 2012

40 Pages

Picture book/Fiction

      Chopsticks is a book that I first heard from a literature block student in my practicum class last semester. I loved how the children responded to the book and the activities that she incorporated into the lesson were superb. Chopsticks   is a book about two chopsticks who are best friends who do everything together. That is until one of them gets injured. The injured chopstick encourages his friend to go out and have some adventures of his own and then come back and share the experiences with him.This is when the two realize that the time spent apart was a good thing because it just made them that much closer. This imaginative tale commemorates the wonderful bond called friendship and also celebrates independence.

     This book uses very simple illustrations. Acrylics with a flat finish were used to create the pictures. The colors used are very pale and the intensity is very low on the spectrum. Honestly I am not a fan of the illustrations. The illustrations are not at all vivid or bright. Every time I see the book I wish it had brighter hues and more intense reds, yellows and oranges. The shape of the illustrations are very simple and lack definition. The color does not change with the shifting of the text. The book is a great read. I just wish the pictures were more appealing for children.

     This book would be appropriate for children from about the age of 4 until around the age of 8 or 9. In a kindergarten and first grade class the students can be involved in a literature lesson. After the book is read aloud the class can talk about things that we normally do by ourselves and things that we normally do with our friends or family. A language arts lesson would go great with this book as well. Children can begin to understand the idea of plot, setting and main idea. I am so happy to be able to use this book as part of a lesson in my practicum class very soon. I plan on reading the story aloud to the class as a whole and then in small groups the students will be able to work together while retelling the story with a clothes line and pictures. Chopsticks has won an award for Junior Library Guild Selection. It is also nominated for many other prestigious awards.

An Awesome Book of Love! By Dallas Clayton

                                        An Awesome Book of Love

Dallas Clayton

HarperCollins

December 26, 2012

56 Pages

                                              Picture Book/Fiction

                                                                  

 I actually read this book about a year ago when my mother gave me a copy. She had bought one for her class library and insisted I put a copy in my classroom library one day. This is a story about love and shares the joy you may have just by being a part of someones life. There is rhyming and rhythm throughout the book which makes me love it that much more. An Awesome Book of Love was written from the author to his son. This book contains lines like "If I was a dinosaur ....and you were a jet ...there's a good chance. That we'd never have met". There are many analogies like this comparing one thing to another. 

     This book contains illustrations that are truly some of the best illustrations I myself have ever seen. The illustrator used a mix of mediums which really showed the contrast from one thing to another. Most of the book is illustrated using watercolor paints and pastels. The drawings are very simplistic. It looks as if a child drew some of the pictures. Some of the colors used are warm yellows, greens and oranges. These pictures are very intense in color. The illustrator also used what seems to be digital art to compile some of the pictures. For example the page with all of the apples randomly spread throughout the page. Another example was the page that talked about Summer and then Fall. There are some illustrations that were put together using digital art. Clayton did a stupendous job when putting the text together with the illustrations.

     This would be a great book for children of all ages especially in elementary school classrooms. This piece of literature allows for multiple educational opportunities. Children could use this book to learn about comparing and contrasting. This would also be a great time to learn some new vocabulary. Rhyming words is the first thing I would use this book to teach. Not only does this book allow for a breath of fresh air it also has an endless supply of learning opportunities. This book has no awards at this time.