#4- Diary of a Fly

4) Diary of a Fly

Written by: Doreen Cronin

Illustrated by: Harry Bliss

Joanna Cotler Books

2007

32 pages

Picture Book

            I chose this book at a Scholastic Warehouse Book Sale because the title sounds like it would be a good book to introduce journaling with, and I thought that was a neat concept. The book is basically the diary entries of a young fly and her family as she grows older. Throughout the book, she goes to school, gets in trouble, and realizes that she has some cool “powers” other animals don’t have. She decides she wants to be a superhero, and though some of her peers discourage her, saying “You’re just a tiny fly!” She learns that, despite her size, heroes come in all shapes and sizes. The book is also a great outline of the life cycle of a fly.

           

            The pictures in this book are great. They take up the entire page, with the diary entry for that day placed in an area of negative space. The photos are hand drawn and colored with watercolors. The colors are bright and very indicative of a “day in the life of a fly”. On every page, there is some sort of text on the page aside from the actual diary entry. It’s usually a speech bubble or a label on a food item, sign, etc. They include illustrations that are cartoons, but also anatomically correct examples of bugs, insects, and other small animals.

            This book would be very well suited for any elementary school student based on the lesson you used it in. Just a few of the many ways a teacher could incorporate this book into classroom lessons would be in a science lesson about flies or other bugs, or a science lesson about life cycles. I would probably use it in my classroom as a way to introduce daily journals and to teach my students how to correctly do a journal entry.

#5- Substitute Creacher

5) Substitute Creacher

Written by: Chris Gall

Illustrated by: Chris Gall

Little, Brown, and Co.

2011

38 pages

Picture Book

            I chose this book because of the interesting cover art, and I thought it would be neat to use for Halloween. I came to find out that it is much more than a Halloween book! The story is about an unruly class whose teacher is so tired that she gets a substitute to come in. When the substitute teacher—um, creature—walks in, the students are not afraid despite his ghoulish appearance. He begins to tell the class horror stories of students in the past who have broken rules and the terrible things that happened to them. The class is still ridiculous. The substitute creature tells them a final story about a young boy who—well, I don’t want to ruin the story for you, but it calms the students down and they learn a new appreciation for showing respect to others. It was a great read.

            The illustrations in this book are vibrant. The note in the front of the book says they were created using “bat wings, toad juice, and the bundled whiskers of a black cat”, but it looks more like paint to me. They fill up the entire page. The narration of the book is written in a normal font, but when the substitute creature begins talking, the author uses a different font and bright speech bubbles. Each page is very intricately designed, with tiny nuances, which carry across the full extent of the class’ shenanigans. They also depict a fall-like environment.

            This book is a great read for children up to about fourth grade. The ending is very unpredictable, making it enjoyable for older children as well as you young ones. There are many ways to incorporate this book into the classroom. Of course, it would be good to use around Halloween time as a read aloud. You could also use it when introducing classroom rules to the students, but it would be especially funny to read the day before you know you will have a substitute in the classroom. It is a great read for anytime you need to calm your students down!

#3- Over and Under the Snow

3) Over and Under the Snow

Written by: Kate Messner

Illustrated by: Christopher Silas Neal

Scholastic, Inc.

2011

36 pages

Picture Book

            This book was not originally on my list that I wanted to blog, but today’s weather (SNOW! Madness!) is inspiring. I also think it is a great informational book that reads just like a story. The book is about a little girl and her dad who go on a skiing adventure together. Throughout their trip, her dad tells her about all the different forest animals who burrow under the snow for the winter. They look at the tracks of animals that live on top of the snow during the winter, as well. As they get home that night and the little girl gets under the covers of her bed, she thinks of herself as one of the animals burrowed comfortably beneath the snow. The end of the book has a directory of all the animals that were referenced in the story and a small informative paragraph on each one.

           

            The illustrations in the book are done in very natural colors. They take up every page, with the words in the story arranged in an area of negative space. I really enjoyed how the whole book was comprised of pictures. The images are cartoon like, but also look like shapes cut out of paper. You can tell that there was a lot of thought put into each page.

            I would recommend this book for any elementary school student. While it is a small book, I think even older grades would benefit from the “glossary” at the end of it. This book would be perfect for a science lesson about the habitats of different animals. Another good science lesson to do would be a unit on forest animals, using the glossary at the end to do some sort of research. It is also a great book to set out in a unit during the winter season for students to read during free time. I would suggest this book to any educator who wants to teach their students how to read for information. 

#2- Library Lion

2) Library Lion

Written by: Michelle Knudsen

Illustrated by: Kevin Hawkes

Scholastic, Inc.

2006

41 pages

Picture Book

            I chose this book because it is one of my favorites from my personal library at home. The story is about a lion that, one day, strolls into a library. The librarian, Miss Merriweather, is a stickler for rules. She allows the lion to stay if he obeys them. The lion becomes very helpful by assisting the librarian with things like dusting the shelves with his tail and allowing the children to climb on his back to reach books. One day, he is helping Miss Merriweather reach a book and she falls to the ground. The lion sees that she cannot get up and breaks every library rule to get the attention of the library assistant, Mr. McBee. He doesn’t listen to the lion and immediately tells him to get out of the library. He finds Miss Merriweather and realizes what the lion was trying to do, but cannot find the lion anywhere to apologize. Eventually, he is found and brought back to live in the library permanently after being praised for his actions.

            The illustrations in Library Lion are very colorful, in a muted tone. They are very kid-friendly, but not overly bright. They were done in watercolors and colored pencil. Kevin Hawkes did a great job of making the illustrations seem realistic, just as the book was meant to. Each picture is drawn and painted with impeccable attention to detail.

            I think this book is a great read for children up to about fourth grade. It is especially great for younger children. There are many ways to apply this book to the classroom. One would be in an introduction to a library trip to explain the rules, since they are clearly outlined throughout the story. You could use it in a character education lesson about doing the right thing and following rules (except in emergencies).  It would also be a great book to talk about how to be a helpful student, since the lion is known at the library for being such a great helper. This book is a New York Times Bestseller, and with such a great storyline and illustrations, I understand why!

#1- Knuffle Bunny

Knuffle Bunny

Mo Willems

Mo Willems

Hyperion Books

2004

31 pages

Picture Book

        Mrs. Strain read this book to us in class on January 15, 2013. The main character, Trixie, is about a year old and cannot talk. She has a stuffed bunny called Knuffle Bunny. One day, she and her dad went to the laundromat and took Knuffle Bunny along. On the way home, Trixie realizes something and tries her hardest to tell her dad, but she cannot talk yet, so it just aggravates him. When they get home, her mom asks where Knuffle Bunny is. They all run back to the laundromat and search high and low. Trixie is the one who finds her friend, exclaiming "Knuffle bunny!" Those were her first words.

        The illustrations in Knuffle Bunny were real photography and had digital cartoon images added into to it. It reflected New York City and the type of lifestyle that "city slickers" live. The illustrations showed Trixie and her father walking on sidewalks next to the road and through Central Park on their way to the laundromat. Some pages gave us clues as to what was going to happen next and Trixie had speech bubbles above her in most of the illustrations showing her being distraught over the fact that her dad did not know what was wrong with her. 

        This book is a decent read for children up to second grade because there is such a low word count. The book can be used in the classroom by studying different types of illustrations, geography of cities compared to rural areas, and it can be used to teach interjections. This book received a Caldecott Honor Award in 2004 and students can easily take it and  learn how to read silently.