Natalie’s Comments (group member since Oct 20, 2011)

Natalie’s comments from the http://www.EDUG573Fall2011 group.

A book that I had in my library that I had never read was Mr. Putter and Tabby Bake the Cake by Cynthia Rylant. This book combines two books that we read in our reading series. I probably wouldn't use this book as a whole group lesson, but it would be good for the children to read on their own if they enjoy the Mr. Putter and Tabby series of books.
It is about Mr. Putter and his fine cat, Tabby. They both loved winter because they could think about their dreams and Christmas. Mr. Putter wanted to bake and airy cake for his neighbor Mrs. Teaberry, but he didn't have any of the supplies or a cookbook and he had never made a cake before. He went to a shop in town and got everything he would need and went home to try it out himself. By the third try, he got it right and it was Christmas morning. Mr. Putter and Tabby took the cake over to Mrs. Teaberry and Mr. Putter fell asleep. After he woke up, they all shared the delicious, airy cake!

I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll is an adorable picture book about a little boy who wants a monster under his bed and not just any monster, his monster, Gabe. Gabe decides to go fishing and sends some replacement monsters, but none of them can scare the little boy like Gabe can and he sends the five substitutes away. Gabe comes back and scares the little boy, which is what he wants. They know they are made for one another and the little boy is asleep in no time.
I think this book would be great to use before writer's workshop to show how to use descriptive words and font sizes in text to show meaning. Plus, it's just a really cute story the children would enjoy hearing!

Cynthia Rylant is a great children's book author and I have read several of her books as read alouds in my class. I came across a beautiful book called In November recently and want to read it to the learners in my classroom this year as a writing prompt. They can talk about what they like to do in November by writing a story or a poem.
In November is about what is happening to the trees, animals, and families (celebrating holidays, spending time with one another, etc.). It is coupled with beautiful illustrations making it a perfect writer's workshop introduction.

On the Same Day in March by Marilyn Singer is a book that explores the world's weather. It talks about several different places around the world and what is happening in that country on the same day of the year. It compares the differences between parts of the world.
I would like to use this book during social studies in my class when we are talking about different countries. I think the learners have a hard time understanding how different the world is from where we live. This book might bridge that gap for some of them.

I have read several books by Robert Munsch, but Smelly Socks was recommended to me by our school counselor and I recently read it to my class to discuss hygiene and cleanliness. It is a good combination of humor and lesson.
This book is about a girl named Tina who convinced her grandfather to take her across the water to get some new socks. She chooses a pair that are red, yellow, and green and "NNNNNNNNNNNEVER" wants to take them off. They become very smelly and bother people and animals. Her friends finally decided to throw her in the water and scrub her socks with them still on her body. She decided she liked clean socks and wanted a clean shirt to match and the last picture shows Tina being thrown back in the water with the soiled shirt on.

Paul and Sebastian by Rene Escudie and translated by Roderick Townley is a cute story about friendship. Sebastian and Paul are neighbors and Sebastian lives in an apartment and Paul lives in a trailer. Their mothers do not want the boys playing together because, according to their mothers, "they aren't our kind of people". The boys had a school trip and it began to rain. They took shelter in a red house with red walls and a red bed. They switched each others jacket and sweater and decided to go to bed because it was too dark to find their way home. A search party found them in the middle of the night and because of the switched clothing Paul's mother took home Sebastian and Sebastian's mother took home Paul. In the morning, after the mothers realized the mistake, they looked out their windows and smiled at one another. The boys and moms became friends and spent time together after that happened.
I would definitely use this book in my classroom as a social story teaching the children about how it doesn't matter where someone lives, but they can always be our friend and even sometime adults have trouble remember that too.

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by A. Wolf as told to Jon Scieszka was a funny picture book classic about the big, bad wolf's side of the story. He was simply trying to borrow a cup of sugar from his neighbors and when he sneezed great sneezes and blew their houses down, he couldn't let all the good meat go to waste, so he ate them. Poor wolf was sent to jail and never did get to make that cake for his dear granny.
This would be a fun book to use in my class for comparing and contrasting with the original Three Little Pigs story. The learners could even complete a Venn diagram and share it with a partner.

Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan is a classic book that I had not read since I was a child. I wanted to re-read this book to remember what I loved about it when I was younger. It is about two children, Anna and Caleb, and their father. The children's mother had passed away when Caleb was born. The father decided to send away for a wife and Sarah, plain and tall had responded and corresponded with the family. Sarah came and brought her cat with her and had some trouble at first, but eventually she was a part of the family.
I would use this classic book as a read aloud for my class. We would have to discuss some of the terms and talk about how it is set in the past and some of the things that are different about then and now.

Patrick Skene Catling wrote a book that I read called The Chocolate Touch. This book featured a boy named John Midas who loved chocolate so much that he ate it at every meal. One day he goes to a candy shop where he gets a piece of chocolate wrapped in gold and now he has a problem. Everything he touches with his mouth turns to chocolate, which was an issue when he was trying to brush his teeth, eat breakfast, chewing on his glove on the way to school, chewing a pencil during a test, trying to get a drink of water, playing his band instrument, etc. His mouth instantly turned those things to chocolate. He went to see a doctor who was really busy to try and get some answers. Dr. Cranium diagnosed him with "chocolatitis" which upset John's mom a great deal. He gave his mother a kiss on the cheek and she turned into a solid chocolate figure. John raced to the chocolate shop and talked to the owner. He wanted to teach John a lesson about unselfishness and after he went home, his mom was back to normal and John learned his lesson!
I would definitely use this book as a read aloud. It is a really cute story with a good lesson at the end.

Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater was a book I had been wanting to read because I had several students reading it. It was about a man who had written a letter to an explorer asking about penguins. Mr. Popper is sent a penguin by Admiral Drake and the family thinks Captain Cook, the penguin, is lonely. Soon the female penguin Greta arrives. Now Mr. Popper is busy keeping the house cold and soon Captain Cook and Greta have some baby penguins - 10 actually! They are all named and Mr. Popper starts training them. The group is known as "Popper's Performing Penguins" and they travel different places performing their act. Mr. Popper decided that Drake (the explorer who sent Captain Cook in the first place) should take the penguins back to the Arctic to be released. Drake even asks Mr. Popper to go with him to the North Pole for an adventure.
I think the learners in my classroom would enjoy this book as a teacher read aloud. I could incorporate it when we are studying about different animals or places around the world. I think they would like to listen and discuss this book.

I read the book Twisted by Laurie Halsey Anderson. It is about a high school senior who is in trouble for spray painting the school. He doesn't have a good relationship with his parents and is in some difficult classes. His crush decides she likes him, but her brother has picked on Tyler since grade school. Chip and Bethany's dad is Tyler's dad's boss. Tyler tries to protect Bethany at a party and rumors get spread about him throughout the high school and things get even more difficult for Tyler. He plots a way he can commit suicide, but he doesn't go through with it. Instead, he stands up for himself avaunt those who have bullied him at school, Bethany, the principal, and his dad. He made a good choice!
I really like this book and Anderson's writing style. Due to the content, it would not be appropriate for the learners in my class, but I think older high school students would like this book.

Nellie the Brave by Veda Boyd Jones is in a series of historical fiction books called "Sisters in Time". The year is 1838 and set in Tennessee. Nellie's family is being forced out of their home, they are Cherokee Indians. Nellie and her family are traveling on the Trail of Tears. They are trying to settle in a new part of the country and have a new home. Nellie's story is one of faith, forgiveness, and perseverance.
I think there are some learners in my class that would like to read this book, but I probably wouldn't use it for whole class instruction. I like how it mixes history with a great story of courage and strength.

The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes was a great realistic fiction story about a group of girls. One girl, Wanda, wore the same blue dress to school every day and was teased about that and her name. Peggy and Maddie would always ask her how many dresses she had and Wanda would always say she had 100 dresses hanging in her closet. When Wanda would walk away, the girls would laugh and make fun of her. There was a dress designing competition in their class and Wanda won the contest and everyone thought they were great, but Wanda's family had moved away. The girls went looking for her and wrote a letter to her and they finally heard back from Wanda and she said that Maddie and Peggy could each have a drawing. The girls realized Wanda had drawn them into the picture.
I could read this book to my class to use as a social story about how to treat one another and that we need to be kind to everyone. I really liked this book!

Night Flight Amelia Earhart Crosses the Atlanic is a biography with beautiful illustrations. It tells the story of Earhart lying across the ocean an the troubles she faced from the storm, to broken gauges, and sleep deprevation. It tells how she landed in a pasture in Ireland and the farmer couldn't believe an American woman was getting out of a flying machine.
I could use this book in my classroom in a couple ways. First, the children are required to do a book report using a biography, so I could direct a learner to this book. Also, we read a story about another pilot and I could use this book o go along with that story.

Sam's Goal by Michael Hardcastle is a graphic novel about a boy who loves to play soccer. He finds out hat he and his hero, soccer star Alex Ackton share the same birthday. Sam invites Alex to his birthday by writing him a letter. Alex calls him to let Sam know he won't be able to make it to his party, but he invites him to a local soccer game. Sam starts practicing even harder and improves his skills so he can impress his hero. Alex calls and invites Sam to be a ball boy at the soccer game. Sam thinks that some dreams really do come true!
This book would be a great introduction on how to write a letter or to show how writing a letter could make a difference. I think the learners in my class would like this book and others in this series.

Bad Kitty Vs. Uncle Murray by Nick Bruel was a funny graphic novel about two pets, a dog and a cat. The owners lefts the pets with Uncle Murray for a week and he had quite a bit of trouble with Kitty. She would screech at any noise that was made, she ran away, and made messes. Uncle Murray bonded with the dog and was going to leave Kitty home alone. He ended up coming back and by the time the family came home, the house was a wreck! It was too be continued because the parents came home with a baby.....
I could see the learners in my class really liking this book. It was a silly story that some of them could relate to. It would be a good addition to my class library.

My Teacher is a Dinosaur by Loreen Leedy is a collection of poems, riddles, and amazing facts. The book goes through a timeline of the ages of the dinosaurs. Each section has a poem or sometimes two about the different types of dinosaurs from that age.

I really like this book because I know that the learners in my class would really like it and there are some great facts mixed in with the silliness of the jokes. I like books that entertain and encourage learning and this one does that. It would be great to use during our dinosaur unit.

Blackberry Ink by Eve Merriam is a collection of poetry and pictures. Most of the poems are rhymes and they cover different topics including seasons, weather, holidays, left/right, and many more.

I would use this book to teach the learners in my classroom how to write poetry. Also, since it is a lower reading level, it would be appropriate for some of my students.

A Plump and Perky Turkey by Teresa Bateman was a fun picture book about Thanksgiving. The setting of this story is a town that is down-heartened because they don't have a turkey for Thanksgiving. The townspeople decide to hold a contest where they will make turkey art and they need a model. They make turkeys out of clay, soap, rope, potatoes, and many other items. On the day when the winner is to be announced and the turkey is going to be caught, he disappears and is nowhere to be found among the created turkeys. The turkey outsmarted the people and they ended up eating shredded wheat for Thanksgiving while the turkeys relaxed on the beach.

I would use this book in my classroom as a fun holiday story. It would get the learners thinking about Thanksgiving and could be a good introduction to a Thanksgiving unit or even rhyming.

Unlovable by Dan Yaccarino is an adorable picture book about a pug named Alfred. Alfred feels unlovable because other dogs, the cat, fish, and parrot are always teasing and making fun of him. When another dog moved in next door, they talked, but Alfred lied about what kind of dog he is. Rex, the neighbor dog, wanted to meet Alfred and dug under the fence to meet him. Alfred hid from Rex at first, but when Rex found him, they discovered that they were both pugs! Rex and Alfred became great friends and played together all the time. Best of all, Alfred never felt unlovable again!
I will use this book in my classroom as a social story to show that everyone deserves a friend and that everyone is lovable no matter what they look like. I think the children in my class will like this story.