The Araboollies of Liberty Street

The Araboolies of Liberty Street

By: Sam Swope 

Illustrated by: Barry Root
Grades: 2-5

Liberty Street is a suburban neighborhood with all white houses.  There is a general and his wife who live on the street and despise happiness.  The two of them are constantly treating to call the army when they see fun.  One day, the Araboolies came into town.  The Araboolies are a very large family who is all about having fun.  The general tries to stop them from having fun but they do not stop because they do not understand the language. 

Theme: Through colorful pages, students will learn that they do not need to conform to be like others; they need to be proud of who they are.

About the Author:  
Sam Swope started off by working as a props man before he started to write for both children and adults.  He won the 2006 James Thurber Fellowship for children's writers.  He helped find the website chapbooks.com which make it easy for teachers to inexpensively publish their students work into books but the website ended up failing and is no long around. 

Pre-Reading Activities:

What do you think this book is about?  Who do you think the Araboolies are and what do you notice about them from the cover?

Post Reading Activities:
Students will pair up with another student in the class and interview them.  After the interview, each student will present on their partner.  Students will point out what is special about their partner and what is something about them that is not like anybody else.

Here Are My Hands

Here Are My Hands

By: Bill Martin Jr and John Archambault

Illustrated By: Ted Rand

Ages: 2-6

Here Are My Hands is a rhyming book about body parts and what they are used for.  This is a fun and colorful book that is great for young students who are learning about their bodies.

Theme: Students learn about different things to do with a variety of body parts.

About the Author:  
Bill Martin Jr.  wrote children's books for over 60 years.  He was a well known writer who wrote books such as Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?  Martin was noted as one of America's best known authors. 
John Archambault writes in the form or poetry of song.  One of his best known books is Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.  Since the third grade he knew he wanted to be a writer and through the inspiration of one of his teachers and the book Charlotte's Web, he lived out his dream.

Pre-Reading Activities:

Students should brainstorm all the things that they use their hands for. 

Post Reading Activities:
Students can work together to think of a variety of things they do with each body part and act it out.  Older students can create their own book. 

Where Are You Going? To See My Friend.

Where Are You Going? To See My Friend.

Written and Illustrated by: Eric Carle and Kazuo Iwamura

 Grades: K-12

This book is about a dog who meets a friend.  The dog meets a cat and they go together to meet another friend.  Every time they meet a new friend, they all go together to meet the next friend.  In the end, they all sing and dance together.  This is all done half in English (Eric Carle) and the other half in Japanese (Kazuo Iwamura).  In the middle of the book, the two come together. 

About the Author: 
Eric Carle was born is Syracuse, New York in 1929 then when he was six, he moved to Germany with his parents.  In 1952 he came back to America and got a job in New York with the New York Times.  His career in children's literature started when a friend of his asked him to illustrate a book of his.  Carle has illustrated over seventy books.

Theme: Using a variety of animals, the authors teach students that their friends do not have to be just like them.  

Pre-Reading Activities:

Have the students find someone that is not one of their best friends or someone they have not talked to before.  The students should get to know the person; introduce themselves and talk about likes and dislikes.  Have the students pick three more people and do the same activity with them. 

Post Reading Activities:

Ask students: Did the animals do the right thing? Is it good to make new friends? Would you do what the animals in this book did?

Teach the students the “Make New Friends” song.

 

Stephanie's Ponytail

Stephanie's Ponytail

By: Robert Munsch

Illustrated by: Michael Martchenko

Grades: K-3

Stephanie decided that she wants to be different then anyone else.  She noticed that no one had a ponytail so she had her mom put her hair in a ponytail.  When she went to school everyone made fun of her but the next day they all wore a ponytail.  Because of this, Stephanie changed her hairstyle again.  This process repeated until Stephanie got so fed up she told the other students that she was going to shave her head the next day.  Everyone came in with shaved heads and Stephanie came in with a ponytail. 

About the Author:

Robert Munsch has been a goof his entire life.  He almost did not pass most grades in elementary school but did write poetry just for fun.  In high school he did not get along with most people and decided to become a priest.  He studied seven years to be a Jesuit priest before he figured out it was not for him.  Munsch ended up deciding he wanted to teach and attended Elliot Pearson School of Child Studies at Tufts University in Medford, Mass.  Through this experience, he was placed to student teach at Wellsley College Child Studies Preschool where he wrote his first story.  While teaching, Munsch came up with a variety of stories but never wrote them down until his wife pushed him to write them down and send them into a publisher.  Munsch then quit his job so that he could keep writing and travel all around to tell his stories.

Theme: Children will learn to be themselves when they see that copying someone else could put them in a sticky situation.

Pre-Reading Activities:

Ask students: Has someone you known done anything that you liked and wanted to do? Have you done what they did? Has someone done something that you have done? How did this make you feel?

Have a group discussion and have students contribute saying what they believe is something special about them. 

Post Reading Activities:
Ask Students: Did you like the book? How do you think Stephanie felt when everyone copied her hair style? How do you think everyone else felt when they shaved their head and everyone else did not?
Have a conversation with the students so that they can learn about what it feels like to be copied and that you should do something because you want to not because someone else is doing it. 

Chryanthemum

Chrysanthemum 

By: Kevin Henkes

Ages: 4-8

Chrysanthemum is a book about a girl who loved her name until she went to school and her classmates made fun of her name.  Chrysanthemum ends up learning her name is as great as her parents have told her when a teacher all the students adore says she likes the name. 

Theme: Social-emotional is a theme of this book when it teaches students to be proud of who they are.

About the Author:
Kevin Henkes became a writer and illustrator when he was nineteen years old, his first book was published in 1981.  He now lives with his wife, son, and daughter.  He has his drawing table in his own studio where he does his where he continues to work.

Pre-Reading Activity:
Have students talk about their names.  Students should be encouraged to talk about what they like about their name, if they are named after anyone in their family, ect. 

Post-Reading Activity:
Help students look up the meaning of their name.  Also, have students count how many letters are in their name and compile a graph with the class.

Hands Are Not For Hitting

Hands Are Not for Hitting

By: Martine Agassi

Illustrated by: Marieka Heinlen

Ages: 3-6

Hands Are Not for Hitting is a great book for young students who have problems learning not to hit.  This book shows students a variety of things they can do with their hands, besides hit.  Students love this book because they can try each activity as it is being read to them.

Theme: Social-emotional skills are taught within this book when children are learning different things they can do with their hands.

About the Author:
Martine Agassi is a clinical therapist and an experience behavior consultant.  She writes this book and a variety of books like it to help children learn positive things that they can do with their hands, teeth, ect.

Pre-Reading Activity:
Have students brainstorm a variety of things that they can with their hands.  Students will be excited when they see the things they listed repeated in the book.

Post-Reading Activity:
Provide situations for the students and ask them what they would do (ex. If a friend takes the toy you were playing with, what would you do?).  Students will show that they know what to do in a situation that makes them angry.