Ashley Bryan's ABC of African American Poetry

Ashley Bryan's ABC of African American Poetry

Written and Illustrated by: Ashley Bryan

Ages: 4-8

Coretta Scott King Honor Award 1998

Ashley Bryan's ABC of African American Poetry  is a collection of African poetry.  Each poem starts with a different letter going from A to Z.  This is a great book to expose children to different cultures and types of poetry.  Along with the poetry comes amazing artwork that both children and adults will enjoy.

Theme: Poetry is an essential part of education and this book exposes children to a different culture's poetry.

About the Author:
Ashley Bryan's inspiration for most of his books sprouted from his travels to Africa.  He decided he wanted to retell and illustrate African folktales which he is known for.  Currently, he travels the word telling stories and reading poetry to his audiences.  Along with receiving the Wilder Metal (2009), many of his books have received Coretta Scott King Honor Awards.

Pre-Reading Activities:
Students will discuss a variety of poetry that they have been learning about.  Students will pick apart the similarities and differences that they see in poetry.

Post-Reading Activities: 
The class will make a venn diagram comparing the poems in this book to another type of poetry.  
Students can also pick a different letter from the alphabet and to use to write a poem.  The class can put their poems together to make their own ABC African American Poetry book.  

Big Anthony: His Story

Big Anthony: His Story

Written and Illustrated by: Tomie dePaola

Ages: 4-8

What was Big Anthony's life like before he met Strega Nona?  This is a great book to read with students before or after reading Strega Nona.  Big Anthony did not pay attention, starting as a young boy.  By the time he was a teenager his father sent him away to find work because he no longer wanted Big Anthony working on the farm.  Every job that Big Anthony found he managed to mess up which caused him to be fired and ultimately led him to Strega Nona's door.

Theme:Paying attention is an important part of life because you never know what will happen if you do not know what is going on.

About the Author:

Tomie dePaola developed a love for books starting at a very young age because his mother read to him everyday and at age four he told everyone that he wanted to write and draw stories for books.  Tomie dePaola has written and/or illustrated over 200 books within 40 years.  

"Tomie dePaola and his work have been recognized with the Caldecott Honor Award, the Newbery Honor Award and the New Hampshire Governor's Arts Award of Living Treasure." Tomie dePaola is also the 2011 winner of the Wilder Award.

Pre-Reading Activities:
Like with Strega Nona, it will be important for the teacher to point out Italy and the particular cities that Big Anthony travels through on a map.  This could start before the book and then as the book is being read, point out these cities again.

Post-Reading Activities: 
Students can write a story about a time that they did not pay attention.  How did it turn out?  Were they confused?  Did they get in trouble?  What happened?

Strega Nona

Strega Nona

Retold and Illustrated by: Tomie dePaola

Ages: 4-8
Caldecott Honor Book

Strega Noma  is an old Italian women who had a magical pot and could use magic to cure headaches, get rid or warts, and help young women find a husband.  Since Strega Nona was getting old, she needed someone to help care for her garden.  Big Anthony was the helper.  He was given strict instructions by Strega Nona not to touch her pot.  One day, Big Anthony saw Strega Nona do magic to make pasta.  When Strega Nona was away he repeated the words that he had heard Strega Nona say to make pasta for everyone in the Village.  Big Anthony did not hear and see everything that Strega Nona said and did and because of this the pasta overflowed the village.

Theme: Listening to rules is important because like Big Anthony learns, bad things can happen if you do not listen.

About the Author:

Tomie dePaola developed a love for books starting at a very young age because his mother read to him everyday and at age four he told everyone that he wanted to write and draw stories for books.  Tomie dePaola has written and/or illustrated over 200 books within 40 years.  

"Tomie dePaola and his work have been recognized with the Caldecott Honor Award, the Newbery Honor Award and the New Hampshire Governor's Arts Award of Living Treasure." Tomie dePaola is also the 2011 winner of the Wilder Award.

Pre-Reading Activities:

The teacher should point out that "Strega Nona" means Grandma Witch.  The teacher can then go on to discuss how this is an Italian name and show students where Italy is and more specifically where Calabria is (the setting).

Post-Reading Activities: 
Students will talk about how Big Anthony felt a different points of the book.
Students can also go on to write the story through the perspective of Big Anthony.


*Before or after this book,  students can  read Big Anthony: His Story. Which would ultimatly lead to a different understanding of Strega Nona.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Retold and Illustrated by: James Marshall
Ages: 4-7
Caldecott Honor in 1989

Goldilocks is sent to buy muffins for her mother in the village.  Even though Goldilocks was told to not take the shortcut through the forest, Goldilocks did as she pleased and did go through the forest.  On her way she stopped at the bears house, who were out on a bike ride.   She went in without knocking and ate their porridge, broke a chair, and took a nap.  The bears returned to see the mess that Goldilocks made. 

Theme: Readers learn that it is important to listen to their parents so that they can stay safe.

About the Author:

James Marshall received a Caldecott Honor in 1989 for Goldilocks and the Three Bears.  He then went on to receive the Wilder Award for his collection in 2007.

In 1971 Marshall was laying on a hammock drawing pictures.  He heard the TV coming from inside and he was inspired for his first book.  His first book was called George and Martha.  These books went on to be a series and James Marshall went on to write and/or illustrate a variety of books throughout his life until he passed away in 1992. 

Pre-Reading Activities:

Have you heard a version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears?  What happened in that one?

Post-Reading Activities:
Read a different version of the book and compare and contrast the two. 
What do you think Goldilocks learned?
 

Miss Nelson is Missing!

Miss Nelson is Missing

By: Harry Allard  
Illustrator: James Marshall

Ages: 5-8

Miss Nelson is Missing was named one of the most memorable books of the 20th Century.  It is a book about a class who is very disrespectful of their teacher, Miss Nelson.  One day Miss Nelson does not come into school and a substitute comes in, Miss Viola Swamp.  Miss Viola Swamp was the meanest teacher the children could have imagined.  When Miss Nelson did return, the students had a new found respect for her and were now respectful, listening students. 

Theme: This book teaches students about respectful behavior.  It goes along with the idea that you should treat someone like you want to be treated.

About the Author:
Harry Allard met James Marshall in Boston.  The two became friends and Marshall's artwork inspired Allard to write his first book The Stupids Step Out.  The two continued to work together to complete the Stupids series as well as the Miss Nelson series. 

About the Illustrator:

James Marshall received a Caldecott Honor in 1989 for Goldilocks and the Three Bears.  He then went on to receive the Wilder Award for his collection in 2007.

In 1971 Marshall was laying on a hammock drawing pictures.  He heard the TV coming from inside and he was inspired for his first book.  His first book was called George and Martha.  These books went on to be a series and James Marshall went on to write and/or illustrate a variety of books throughout his life until he passed away in 1992.

 

Pre-Reading Activities:
Have students look at the cover of the book and come up with predictions of what they believe happened to Miss Nelson.  Students can write these ideas down and then discuss them with the class. 

Post-Reading Activities:  
Students can work together to compile a list of classroom rules that they believe Room207 should have followed and that they can follow themselves. 
Why do you think the students were so disrespectful of Miss Nelson?
What lesson did the students learn?

In the Small, Small Pond

In the Small, Small Pond

Written and Illustrated by: Denise Flemming

Ages: 2 - 6

Awards: Caldecott Honor 

In the Small, Small Pond is a great book to teach young children about pond life.  There are great illustrations and descriptions to go with each animal that lives in and around a pond. 

Theme: This book teachers students about different aspects of nature in relation to ponds

About the Author:
Denise Fleming is and artist and writer.  To complete her artwork in her books she uses pulp painting; this involves pouring colored paper pulp through hand cut stencils.  She also writes the words to her books which are very few.  Since Fleming enjoys strong words, she starts with hundreds of words and continues until she believes she has reached the best of the best.

 

Pre-Reading Activities:
What do you think this book is about?
What animals do you think live in ponds?
Have you been to pond? If so, what animals did you see?

Post-Reading Activities:  
Create a pond mural.  Students will work together to create a pond habitat including pictures of animals and plants that live in and around the pond.  Students can use this book as well as related books to complete the mural.

The M&M's Counting Book

The M&M's Counting Book

By: Barbara Barbieri McGrath

Ages: 3-7
Awards: The Teacher's Choice Award from Learning Magazine

The M&M's Counting Book is a great book to help students learn about counting, adding, subtracting, and shapes.  Students love candy and teachers already use food for math so an exciting book is the best addition.  Older students can use the book and complete the given activities on their own.  The book helps students by giving them instruction and then praise for after they completed a task.  For younger students, this is a great book for teachers to use as a visual as they teach their math lesson. 

Theme: Shapes, addition, subtraction, and counting are important part of the book in the sense that the students have to use these aspects of math while they read the book.

About the Author:
Barbara McGrath obtaining her degree in Early Childhood Education from Lasell College.  With this degree she opened a preschool where she taught four and five year olds for sixteen years.  While working she did freelance writing and then went on to write over twenty children's books.  McGrath travels to talk about writing and math to students so that they will be inspired to complete writing pieces of their own.

 

Pre-Reading Activities:

This book is an activity within it self.  Supply each student with an appropriate amount of M&M's then select a few pages from the book and complete these activities with the students. 

Post-Reading Activities:  
Have a discussion with the students about what they liked and disliked about the activities.  Tell the students that this activity will be available for them.  Have a center with either M&M's or colored circles at a table so that students can sit down and try to complete different pages of the book (a teacher will need to be present for the younger students).