Title: Mariana and the Merchild
Author: Caroline Pritcher and Jackie Morris
Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2000
Genre: Multicultural/ fiction
Age Range: Upper elementary
Summary: This story is about a girl who wants friendship, but other children are scared of her because she is "feared by the village children." She then finds a "merchild" inside of a crab shell. She loves the child very much, but one day knows that the waves will come take the child back into the deep ocean. Because of this, this interested the other children, and they began to talk to Mariana like they never had before. They helped and comforted Mariana when she had to return the merchild to the ocean, and they remained friends.
Personal Response: I think this book would be good for children who have felt left out in certain situations and are looking for comfort. This book shows that someone can go from being left out and not liked by others to having friends because of a commonality. It can boost children's confidence and help them through these tough situations.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Multicultural
Title: Native American Foods and Recipes
Author: Bobbie Kalman
Publisher: Crabtree Publishing Company, 2006
Genre: Multicultural/ nonfiction
Age Range: Upper elementary
Summary: This books tells about different foods and recipes that Native Americans use in their culture. They grow things like tomatoes, kill deer for meat, and gather nuts and berries for other foods. They believe that respecting nature and wasting nothing is very important to them and their environment. They also grow wild rice, corn, and hunt other meats such as bison. They are also very specific about how they store different foods.
Personal Response: I think that this book can give children insight on different cultures and the foods they eat, specifically Native Americans. It shows that not all people are like them, and there are totally different worlds out there that they have not experienced yet.
Author: Bobbie Kalman
Publisher: Crabtree Publishing Company, 2006
Genre: Multicultural/ nonfiction
Age Range: Upper elementary
Summary: This books tells about different foods and recipes that Native Americans use in their culture. They grow things like tomatoes, kill deer for meat, and gather nuts and berries for other foods. They believe that respecting nature and wasting nothing is very important to them and their environment. They also grow wild rice, corn, and hunt other meats such as bison. They are also very specific about how they store different foods.
Personal Response: I think that this book can give children insight on different cultures and the foods they eat, specifically Native Americans. It shows that not all people are like them, and there are totally different worlds out there that they have not experienced yet.
Multicultural
Title: The Librarian Who Measured the Earth
Author: Kathryn Lasky
Illustrator: Kevin Hawkes
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company, 1994
Genre: Multicultural/ nonfiction
Age Range: Upper elementary
Summary: This book is about a man named Eratosthenese. Throughout his life he was fascinated with geography and wanted to know why the earth was the way that it was. He learned about the "gymnasium" in Greece. Ptolemy later asked him to be the tutor of the museum in Greece. He would teach other children about the things he learned about and would also teach himself new things as well. He then became interested in knowing the circumference of the Earth. He used the sun to help him with his angle problem of where to begin to measure. He wrote a book called Geographica that was the first book on the geography of the earth.
Personal Response: I think that this book would be very informational to children in an elementary school. They, too, at that age would ask many questions and want to know "why" to many things in life. This could teach them what Eratosthenes went through to answer his own question.
Author: Kathryn Lasky
Illustrator: Kevin Hawkes
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company, 1994
Genre: Multicultural/ nonfiction
Age Range: Upper elementary
Summary: This book is about a man named Eratosthenese. Throughout his life he was fascinated with geography and wanted to know why the earth was the way that it was. He learned about the "gymnasium" in Greece. Ptolemy later asked him to be the tutor of the museum in Greece. He would teach other children about the things he learned about and would also teach himself new things as well. He then became interested in knowing the circumference of the Earth. He used the sun to help him with his angle problem of where to begin to measure. He wrote a book called Geographica that was the first book on the geography of the earth.
Personal Response: I think that this book would be very informational to children in an elementary school. They, too, at that age would ask many questions and want to know "why" to many things in life. This could teach them what Eratosthenes went through to answer his own question.
Poetry/ Multicultural
Title: Coconut Kind of Day
Author: Lynn Joseph
Illustrator: Sandra Speidel
Publisher: Puffin Books, 1990
Genre: poetry
Age Range:Upper elementary
Summary: This book is a collection of poems from a little girl's prospective about different people/ things in her life. She writes about her brother, mother, teacher, a snail she sees, steel drums, "red wonder" (the sun), and songs about night. Most poems use the girl's native language to show her diversity.
Personal Response: This book would be good to use in the classroom to show diversity. Some children may relate to this if they have a different background other that caucasian.
Author: Lynn Joseph
Illustrator: Sandra Speidel
Publisher: Puffin Books, 1990
Genre: poetry
Age Range:Upper elementary
Summary: This book is a collection of poems from a little girl's prospective about different people/ things in her life. She writes about her brother, mother, teacher, a snail she sees, steel drums, "red wonder" (the sun), and songs about night. Most poems use the girl's native language to show her diversity.
Personal Response: This book would be good to use in the classroom to show diversity. Some children may relate to this if they have a different background other that caucasian.
Graphic Novel- Multicultural
Title: The Legend of Hong Kil Dong
Author: Anne Sibley O'Brien
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Genre: graphic novel
Age Range: Upper elementary
Summary: This book is about a boy who is out to find his destiny. When he was little, he found out that he does not have a "birthright" because his mother is a commoner. He then began to study martial arts and swordplay and leads a group of men to "right" these injustices. They go to overpower corrupt monks, ministers, and merchants. After overcoming these people, he can then define who he was, is, and what he has become.
Personal Response: This book can be positive inspiration for children, especially boys, to see that they can overcome obstacles that come their way. Boys would probably enjoy it more than girls, only because the main character (hero) is a boy and boys can relate to the character easier.
Author: Anne Sibley O'Brien
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Genre: graphic novel
Age Range: Upper elementary
Summary: This book is about a boy who is out to find his destiny. When he was little, he found out that he does not have a "birthright" because his mother is a commoner. He then began to study martial arts and swordplay and leads a group of men to "right" these injustices. They go to overpower corrupt monks, ministers, and merchants. After overcoming these people, he can then define who he was, is, and what he has become.
Personal Response: This book can be positive inspiration for children, especially boys, to see that they can overcome obstacles that come their way. Boys would probably enjoy it more than girls, only because the main character (hero) is a boy and boys can relate to the character easier.
Nonfiction/ Intermediate
Title: Baa! The Most Interesting Book You'll Ever Read About Genes and Cloning
Author: Cynthia Pratt Nicolson
Illustrator: Rose Cowles
Publisher: Kids Can Press, 2001
Genre: Nonfiction
Age Range: Upper elementary
Summary: This book tells children how they are different from other people. It tells them that children are born with different genes from their parents, which make them unique from others. The book also shows what a strand of DNA looks like and explains how this makes up who you are and what you look like. It also explains that when people are cloned, scientists believe they can copy a person's DNA and make another person out of that, resulting in a "twin" of the original person. This book gives children an insight to the future of a certain area in science.
Personal Response: I think this book is very informational, but could be a little much for an elementary schooler. Cloning people is a big controversy and could cause trouble with what children believe/ think and what their parents believe also. Teachers who have this book in the classroom should be cautious about putting this book on their shelves to avoid this controversy.
Author: Cynthia Pratt Nicolson
Illustrator: Rose Cowles
Publisher: Kids Can Press, 2001
Genre: Nonfiction
Age Range: Upper elementary
Summary: This book tells children how they are different from other people. It tells them that children are born with different genes from their parents, which make them unique from others. The book also shows what a strand of DNA looks like and explains how this makes up who you are and what you look like. It also explains that when people are cloned, scientists believe they can copy a person's DNA and make another person out of that, resulting in a "twin" of the original person. This book gives children an insight to the future of a certain area in science.
Personal Response: I think this book is very informational, but could be a little much for an elementary schooler. Cloning people is a big controversy and could cause trouble with what children believe/ think and what their parents believe also. Teachers who have this book in the classroom should be cautious about putting this book on their shelves to avoid this controversy.
Nonfiction- Intermediate
Title: Outside and Inside Killer Bees
Author:Sandra Markle
Publisher: Walker and Company, New York
Genre: Nonfiction
Age Range: Upper elementary
Summary: This book tells children about killer bees and what to look for in bees to know whether it is a killer bee or not. It tell specifically what a bee's body shape looks like, including the thorax, abdoman, and head. In an up close picture, it shows where the venom pouch is located and where the stinger is connected to the pouch. It warns children that bees fly around in "colonies," which means if you see one flying around, there are more to follow. It also tells children what colors, foods, and flowers that killer bees are most attracted to so they will know to stay away from those as much as they can.
Personal Response: I think this is a good book to have in a classroom because it can show children the dangers of killer bees. This can mean even more to children who may be allergic to bees and help them become more knowledgable also.
Author:Sandra Markle
Publisher: Walker and Company, New York
Genre: Nonfiction
Age Range: Upper elementary
Summary: This book tells children about killer bees and what to look for in bees to know whether it is a killer bee or not. It tell specifically what a bee's body shape looks like, including the thorax, abdoman, and head. In an up close picture, it shows where the venom pouch is located and where the stinger is connected to the pouch. It warns children that bees fly around in "colonies," which means if you see one flying around, there are more to follow. It also tells children what colors, foods, and flowers that killer bees are most attracted to so they will know to stay away from those as much as they can.
Personal Response: I think this is a good book to have in a classroom because it can show children the dangers of killer bees. This can mean even more to children who may be allergic to bees and help them become more knowledgable also.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)