Ms. Abel's 30 Books

Catrice’s 30 Children’s Books

 

Introduction

My name is Catrice Abel, and I am in my junior year at FGCU. I love children and I can’t wait to start teaching. I want to teach second grade. I am not sure what school I want to teach at, but I know I want a challenge. I heard of a school for homeless children out in California, I really want to teach there, but it’s kind of far away, and they already have teachers there. I read a book called Nobody Don’t Love Nobody, and it really inspired me to want to work with homeless children. My goal for this class was to read 30 children’s books. The way I chose my books was I had the librarian help me find books that she thought were great children’s books.

 

 

 

Title, Author, Copyright, Pages, Genre	Summary, Awards, Theme	Personal Response	Classroom Use
Picture Books     (5)       2 primary general, 2 use with MS Sec., 1 Sci or SS focus
Little Tad Grows Up                       Writtien and Illustrated By: Giuliano Ferri   Copyright 2007   Unpaged Picture book	Tad does not want to grow up; he envies the younger frogs that still have their tails. He loves to swim fast, but he can’t swim as fast with legs and feet instead of a tail.     Growing up	I really enjoyed reading this book, because I think that at a certain point in our lives none of us want to grow up, and that was the main idea of the whole book.	I would begin a science lesson about life cycles, by reading this book. Then I would go into the science lesson. During the lesson I would ask them questions relating to the lesson and the book.
Cinderella   By: Michele Marineau Copyright 2007   Unpaged   Picture book	Cinderella’s father has died and she lives with her evil stepmother and stepsisters. The prince is throwing a ball and she wants to go. Her fairy godmother shows up and transforms a tomato into her stagecoach, but she has to be home by midnight.     Diversity	I really liked this story. It was basically the traditional Cinderella, except a few elements were changed. It was fun to read a book that was a little different from the original version I remember.	I would read this book one day then the next day I would read Cindy Ellen. Then I would have the students compare what the differences were between the original version and the multicultural version.
Claire and the Unicorn Happy ever After     Written by: B.G. Hennessy Copyright 2006   Unpaged   Picture book/ fantasy	Claire wonders what makes people happy ever after. So when she is dreaming her and her unicorn go and visit all of the people from the stories he dad reads her before bed and finds out what makes them happy ever after. She finds that everybody is different and different things make people happy.     Diverse Opinions	I really loved this book. It was so cute. I think Claire had a legitimate question about what makes the people in the fairy tales happy. It was cute how they put all the elements of the fairy tales in this book for Claire to ask what makes them happy. In the end she realized that everyone had a different answer, and told her dad that it depends on who you are to say what makes you happy.	I would use this book to illustrate that you can have many answers to one question. I will then have them all write a story about what they would do with a million dollars, and have them all tell the rest of the class what they wrote, so that they could see that they all have different answers.
Wave By: Suzy Lee Copyright 2008   Unpaged Picture book	A little girl and her mother visit a beach, and the little girl plays by the water and she has fun playing with the wave. Then the wave gets her all wet and she finds some shells, which she shows her mom.     A day at the beach	I really loved this book, because it has no words, but your imagination knows what the pictures say. The story was also very amusing I laughed at the pictures,	I would use this book to show the students that you do not always need words for a story. Then I will have them write one sentence and have them illustrate the sentence with a series of pictures.
The Little Penguin By: A.J. Wood Copyright 2002   Unpaged   Picture book	The baby penguin can’t wait to see his mom, but then he gets lost and goes talking to other sea creatures that live near him. Meanwhile his mom and dad have been looking for him. Then he finds his way home and sees his mom.     Diversity	I really liked this book because you could feel the pictures. It was also a great story about a little penguin who thought there was something wrong with him because he looked different than the rest of the penguins.	I would read this book to them and have them retell me all the animals from the book and I will have a Velcro picture board, and I will put the pictures on the board. Then I will ask the students if they know of any other animals that might live in the Arctic. I will have all the pictures prepared for the board.
Traditional Literature     (5)   1 Folk Tale, 1  Fable, 1 Myth, 1 Epic, 1 Multicultural Cinderella
One-Eye! Two Eyes! Three Eyes! A Very Grimm Fairy Tale   Written By: Aaron Shepard Copyright 2007   Unpaged   Folk tale	Two eyes is different from her sisters she has two eyes and they have one and three. They don’t treat her well because she is different. Her fairy godmother helps her get food from random sources. Then a prince comes and wants an apple from the tree, which only she can get, no one else, her sisters try to get him one but can’t so she comes out and gets him one and they live happily ever after.    Diversity	I really loved this story, because it was fun to read and kept making me wonder what was going to happen next.	This book has an underlying principle of diversity, and it would be great to use as a way to teach diversity in class or even just a fun book to read to them. I think this would be a great book to get them thinking about people’s differences, and I will them to point out some of their differences.
Cindy Ellen A Wild Western Cinderella   By: Susan Lowell Copyright 2000   Unpaged   Multicultural Cinderella	Cindy Ellen’s father has to go away for a while and while he is away her father’s new wife and her daughters treats her badly. Then a farmers son is having a shin dig and she wants t go but cant so her fairy godmother shoots her guns and she has nice clothes to go in.     Diversity	Almost everything was different in this book, but I felt like it sort of related to real life more than the traditional Cinderella.	I would read Cinderella one day then the next day I would read This book. Then I would have the students compare what the differences were between the original version and the multicultural version.
One Yak Called Jack   Written and Illustrated By: Darcia Labrosse Copyright 2005   32pp Fable	Jack wants to go to the fair but all of his friends are too busy until the end then they all want to go.     Patience	This book was very cute, Jack was very impatient to go to the fair and wanted his friends to go but they were all busy. In the end his waiting paid off because they were all ready to go.	I would use this book to teach patience in a kindergarten or pre-kindergarten class. Then I would ask them if they have ever had to wait for something they really wanted.
Gulliver’s Travels                 Adapted By: James Riordan Copyright 1992   91pp   Epic	Gulliver goes through different places and meet different people. He goes through a place with tiny people, and giant people and one with normal people.     Diversity	I have always loved Gulliver’s Travels, but I have never read the whole story, so I really enjoyed reading it in a much simpler more thorough context.	This book is better for upper elementary grades to sixth grade; the younger children would not understand any of the concepts throughout the book. I would have them read this book and then we would discuss the book afterwards.
d’Aulaires’ Book of Green Myths   Written and Illustrated By: Ingri and Edgar d’Aulaire Copyright 1962   192pp Myth	This book is a collection of different Greek myths that all have different morals.     Different themes in each story	I enjoyed the pictures in this book, they were very different, some were colorful and some were black and white and some sepia, but the stories were the same as I remember them, of what I remember.	This could be used in the classroom to teach students about Greek mythology. I would use this book with a Greek mythology lesson. I would pick and choose which stories I would read them based on the lesson I am teaching.
Modern Fantasy:            (3)    (1 primary, 1 intermediate, 1 upper)
The Hobyahs               Written by: Robert D. San Souci Copyright 1994   Unpaged   Picture Book Primary	The old man and woman can’t sleep with the dogs barking at the hobyahs at night so they drive them away, but the little girl begs them not to but they do anyway. When all the dogs are gone they hobyahs eat the old man and woman and take the girl. Then the dogs save her from them.     Trust	I really loved the suspense in this story. I think it could be used around Halloween. I also liked that they story ended different than the original version of the story.	This book could be used around Halloween because of the suspense in the book. I would read this book aloud for fun. I could also use it to demonstrate past tenses, because it has a lot of past tense words.
Rapunzel   Retold and Illustrated By: Paul O. Zelinsky Copyright 1997   Unpaged   Picture Book   Intermediate	A man and woman have a child but owe it to a witch because they stole her rapunzel from her garden. So the witch put her up in a tower. Then a prince hears her singing and hears the witch tell her to let down her hair. Then the next day she does the same, and then all the time goes to see her. Then she gets pregnant and can’t fit in her clothes and the witch realizes she has been seeing someone and leaves her in the desert after cutting her hair. When the prince comes she blinds him and throws him in the forest. He hears Rapunzel singing and they find each other and live happily ever after.     The Caldecott Medal Winner   Love	This book gave me a different view of Rupunzel, I have only heard the version hen she accidently tells her Stepmother that the prince is lighter than her, but in this story she hints of a pregnancy. I enjoyed the story and the pictures were very vivid.	This book could be used in the classroom for pure amusement, plus it is a classic story, that they should all know. I could also use this book to show the difference between fantasy and real life. I would have the student do a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting the differences and similarities.
Igraine the Brave   Written and Illustrated by: Cornelia Funke Copyright 2007   212pp   Chapter Book Upper	Igraine wants to show that she is brave, but she doesn’t have a way to do it. Then a neighbor attacks her family’s castle, which gives her a chance to show her bravery.    Bravery	I liked this book because it has a girl as the main character. I thought the story was funny as well.	This book would be great for a student to read when they are reading chapter books, but would rather picture books, because it has some great pictures. I don’t think I would use this book in the classroom, but I would allow my students to read this book for pleasure.
Poetry Books                   (3)    (1 primary, 1 intermediate, 1 upper)
You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You   Written by: Mary Ann Hoberman Copyright 2004 Poetry   32pp Primary	You and a child can read this book together; it has different endings to the same fairy tales in a poetic form.     Reading together	This book will be a lot of fun to read with a student. It went back and forth between each person, and sometimes together. The endings were all different for each fairy tale they weren’t the traditional endings.	This book could be used for students to read with each other, or show them a new ending to a traditional fairy tale they have probably heard or read, and have them create a new ending to a different fairy tale that we read together in class.
Edgar Allen Poe Edited By: Brad Bogart Copyright 1995   48pp Poetry Upper	This is a collection of Edgar Allen Poe’s poems and also some parts of his short stories.     Different themes	Poe is one of those great poets, and I love reading his work, however unless you have the meaning behind the poem it makes no sense.	I would use this book in a poetry lesson to teach them about how to decipher the meaning of the poem.
Animal Poems     Edited By: John Hollander Copyright 2004   48pp Poetry Intermediate	Animal poems is a collection of poems written by different author all of which are about animals.     Animals	I liked this book because it was fun to read, I really like the rhyming of poetry.	This book could be used to teach about the different animals in the book, and also about rhyming words. I would use this book with a lesson about rhyming. Poetry is always good for teaching rhyming. I would have the students then write a poem with rhyming words at the end.
Realistic Fiction:            (4)    (1 primary, 2 intermediate, 1 upper)
Bud, Not Buddy   By: Christopher Paul Curtis Copyright 1999   245pp   Chapter Book Upper	Buddy is a boy who has been in and out of foster homes since his mother died a few years before. He has a few things in a suitcase, and after running away from his most recent foster parents he decides he has to go find who he thinks is his father, all he has is a picture of the man.   Newberry Award winner for greatest contribution to children’s literature.   Acceptance and Family	I really loved this book it kept me interested all the way through from cover to cover. I like the plot of the book, the boys search for his father.	This could be a great book for the upper elementary to read to show them a different perspective, and learn a little about homelessness. I would not use this book in class, rather I would just request that they read this book during February which is Black history month.
Dovey Coe     By: Frances O’Roark Dowell Copyright 2000   181pp   Chapter Book Intermediate	Dovey Coe is a girl who is accused of murder when she is twelve. She was at the murder scene when the mother of the boy who is dead shows up, which is why she is accused. At the end she finds out who really killed him.   Innocence	I was absolutely swarmed by joy by the end of this book. Dovey was so young and under so much stress with a trial of murder against her and knowing who actually had murdered the boy, it was a surprise at the end to know that it was actually her brother, I had a feeling it was him all along.	This book was set in the late 1920’s, so I think it would be a great book to help students see what the 1920’s were like. I would have them compare how we do things now compared to how they did things then.
Forest                       By: Laura Godwin Copyright 1998   48pp    Fiction Primary	Jeannie hears a noise in the forest and wants to find out what it is. So she and her mother go in to see what was making the noise and they find a baby deer whose mother is dead. They take her home and take care of her.     Doing the right thing	I didn’t really like this book it was too plain, they find a baby deer without a mother to take care of it and they feed it and the little girl names it.	However, it could be used to help students learn more adjectives, because they used a lot of different ones. I would do a lesson on adjectives and I would read this book and have the students pick out the adjectives they use in the book.
Snowshoe Thompson By: Nancy Smiler Copyright 1992   64pp   Realistic fiction Intermediate	A little boy wants to give his father a message but can’t because of the snow. A new man in town who if from Norway makes some snow skis and delivers the mail to his father.     Family	This book was very cute. I liked how the man went out f his way to help the little boy get a letter to his father. He also introduced the skis to the people of the city.	This book could teach children about a great European invention. Then the students could make up a story about an invention.
Historical Fiction            (4)    (1 primary, 1 intermediate, 2 upper)
My Brother’s Keeper   By: Mary Pope Osborne Copyright 2000   109pp   Historical fiction Upper	Virginia writes in her diary all the things she sees and hears during the civil war.    Memory of war	I really liked this book because it really gave me an idea of what I would be seeing and hearing and doing during the civil war.	I could use this book to teach about the civil war. I could have the students read this book, then write a diary in their own words what they may have saw, heard and did during the civil war, if they lived then.
Five Smooth Stones By: Kristiana Gregory Copyright 2001 Historical fiction   109pp Upper	Hope writes a diary about what she experiences during the American Revolutionary war.    Memory of war	I liked this book for the same reason I liked My brothers keeper. It really gave me insight about what I would have seen if I was there.	I could have the students write a diary as if they were Hope’s big brother or sister and write from their point of view how they saw the Revolutionary War.
The Copper Lady               By: Alice Ross   Copyright 1997   48pp   Historical fiction Intermediate	An orphan boy moves to New York with the Statue of Liberty after helping to build it.    Finding Home	I liked it, it seemed like something that could really happen. I also liked that it gave an idea about how the statue of liberty got here.	After the students have read this book they could come up with ways that they think that the statue of liberty got here by.
Almost to Freedom   By: Vaunda Micheaux Nelson Copyright 2003   Unpaged   Picture book Primary	A little girl gets a doll and takes it with her everywhere she goes. Then one day her family runs away from the farm. When they get to the underground she loses the doll and another little girl takes her. This book is told from the dolls point of view.    Freedom	I liked this book, because it is wrote not from a normal point of view, and because it is about slavery.	This book could be used during Black History Month. I could read the book aloud and then we could talk about why slavery is bad, or why someone would want to escape.
Non Fiction                   (3)    (1 primary, 1 intermediate, 1 upper)
US Navy Seals   By: Tom Streissguth Copyright 1996   48pp   Non-fiction Upper	This book is about training and deployment and history of the US Navy Seals.    True Navy Seals	I liked the book, because it was very interesting.	This book could be used in research about the military. The student could write a report about the Navy.
Save The Florida Key Deer                   By: Margaret Goff Clark Copyright 1997   38pp   Non-fiction Intermediate	This book is about the history, behavior, characteristics, and habitat of the small Florida Key deer.    Informational	I liked this book, because it gave me some information I didn’t know about the Key Deer.	This book could be used in research for the students to learn about an animal that only lives in Florida.
The Presidency By: Patricia J. Murphy Copyright 2001   24pp   Non-fiction Primary	This book explains all about the things the president has to do.    Informational	I like this book because it was very good at explaining in simple terms about the presidency.	I would use this book as help to teach a lesson about the different parts on the government.
DIVERSE POPULATIONS             (3)    (1 primary, 1 intermediate, 1 upper)
Home at Last   By: Susan Middleton Elya Copyright 2002   Unpaged   Picture book Primary	This book is about a Mexican family that moves to America, and they begin learning English, except for the mother, she is worried, but she can’t communicate. Then she starts taking classes to help her learn English.    Learning English	I like this book, because it gives me insight about the Mexican family, and their worries.	I could read this book to my ESOL students, so they know that I understand what they are going through, and let them know that I am gong to give them time to feel comfortable when speaking.
A Story A Story   By: Gail E. Hailey Copyright 1970 Picture book   36pp Intermediate	This is an African story that has been told over and over. It is about stories that have been kept by he spider.    Trickery	I like this book, because it was fun to read.	It could be used to explain about another culture. I could use this book and have the students make up a way that all the stories are kept by an animal of their choice.
Akimbo and the Elephants   By: Alexander McCall Smith  Copyright 2005     68pp   Chapter Book Upper	Akimbo has a dangerous plan to catch some elephant poachers.    Bravery	I liked the book because it was very fast moving, and an easy read.	I would read this book to them during Black History month. Then we would talk about different African cultures. I would assign different groups different African Cultures in the country and have them do research about that culture and present it to the class.

 

 

Reflection

I really liked doing this project, because I got to explore with reading all different kinds of books. I really learned a lot about myself as well. For one thing I learned about is how much I love reading. I thought I hated to read anything other than the pages of Cosmopolitan and Seventeen Magazines. Some of my favorite books of these 30 were, A Story A Story, Bud, Not Buddy, and Dovey Coe. Reading these book especially Dovey Coe, and Bud, Not Buddy, got me thinking about what to read next. I had bought a book from the school’s bookstore, and had it laying in my bedroom for about a year. I decided, well, I should read it since I spent the money on it. Then I finished that book and wanted more books, so I went to the Borders store, and bought another book by the same author, and finished it within a week and it had almost 500 pages. Making it the longest book I have ever even attempted to read. Plus I figured out what kind of books I like to read. This is all because of me having to read all 30 of these wonderfully written pieces of work. I am so glad I had to do this it has really inspired me.