If You Grow Up With Abraham Lincoln

Author:  Ann McGovern                                                               

About the Author:

Ann McGovern grew up in New York City, and still lives there today.  She developed a love for reading and writing at an early age.  She had a speech imepidament and used writing and poetry to express her feelings.

Illustrator: George Ulrich

Genre: Non-Fiction
Grade Level: 3-6

Synopsis:
This is a story about when Abraham Lincoln was a boy growing up in Kentucky and Indiana.  When he was a young man he lived on a prairie in the town of New Salem, Illinois.  He lived later in the city of Springfield, Illinois, he then later moved to Washington, D.C., where he was the President of the United States.

This story tells about how the towns were where Abraham Lincoln grew up.   It shows how his towns could be related to by kids.  The woods were full of birds and animals, just like the woods today.

Pre Reading Activity:

Questions:
Who is Abe Lincoln? What things would you do if you were Abe Lincoln growing up? What kind of house did he live in?

Activity:

Have the class draw a picture of what they think Abe Lincoln’s house and yard would look like.

Post Reading Activity:

Questions:

What did Abe Lincoln do for fun? What kind of school did he go to?  What did he learn about in school?

Activity:

After reading the story, have the students write a paragraph about one thing they learned about Abraham Lincoln when he was growing up.

Reflection:
I think this is a great story that portrays Abraham Lincoln's life as a child that children can relate to and can see Abraham Lincoln in a different light than President of the United States.  I think it is important to see where all people come from and their life story.

The Little House

Author/Illustrator:  Virginia L. Burton

About the Author:

Virginia Burton was born on August 30, 1909, in Newton Center, Massachusetts, she went to school for dance and art and thought she would become a dancer, she used to draw the people on the train ride to school. She was about to begin a dance career when her father broke his leg and she had to take care of him instead. She gave up her dancing but began drawing sketches of great dancers and actors of the time.

Genre: Fiction
Grade Level: 2-4

Synopsis:
This is a story about a man who built a little house way out in the country.  He wanted his great- great grandchildren to live in it.  The house could see the city lights at night and always wondered what it would be like to live in the city.  Then the city grew up around her, and she did not like it., it was noisy and busy and she couldn't see the flowers or hear the birds. The great-great grand daughter saw the house in the city and found out it was her grandmother’s house and had it moved back out to the country.

Pre Reading Activity:

Questions:
Who lives way out in the country?  Who lives in the city? Why would someone want to live in the country? Why would someone want to live in the city?

Activity:

Have the class make a list of the differences between living in the city and living in the country.

Post Reading Activity:

Questions:

Did you think the little house would be destroyed when the city grew up around it?  Do houses that are old usually get saved? What are some things that the house saw changing? 

Activity:

After reading the story, have the students write a story about what their house would say about what it has seen for changes.  For example: Painting of different colors on the walls, remodeling of rooms, new furniture, outside changes. etc.

Reflection:

I love this story!  I think this book shows how a house was curious about living in the city instead of the country, but I think the house could represent a person.  I think people often wonder what other people's lives are like and want to live a different life, but then find out the life they had, was the right one for them. 

Kitten's First Full Moon

 

Author/Illustrator:  Kevin Henkes

http://www.kevinhenkes.com

About the Author:

Kevin Henkes remembers from an early age he loved to draw, and his parents and teachers would comment on how good he was.  He also loved books at an early age.  He would take his favorites every where he went and reread them over and over.  He became an author/illustrator at the age of 19.  He started in his parents house working on a card table, to living with his wife and kids and working in his own studio.

 



Genre: Fiction
Grade Level: K-2

Synopsis:
This is a story about a little kitten that sees the full moon and thinks it is a bowl of milk in the sky.  She wants the bowl of milk so she tries to get it, but no matter what she does she can’t get to the bowl of milk in the sky.

The kitten goes out searching for the bowl of milk that is out of reach for her, but when she returns home after all the chasing of the bowl of milk in the sky, there is a bowl of milk waiting for her at home. 

Pre Reading Activity:

Questions:
Who has seen a full moon?  How come it looks close sometimes but you can’t ever get to it?  Is the moon far away?

Activity:

Have the class make a list of all the things the moon looks like.  Using all the phases of the moon.  Have students find objects in the room that look like something else,  and explain what it is but what it looks like.

Post Reading Activity:

Questions:

Did you think the moon would look like a bowl of milk?  Could the kitten ever really get to the moon? Why do you think the kitten tried to get the milk in the sky when it was going to have milk at home?

Activity:

After reading the story, have the students write two sentences telling why the kitten tried to get the milk in the sky instead of waiting for the milk at home. 

Reflection:

I think this is the cutest book!  I think it tells a great story about the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, but in a very innocent way.  It really speaks to young children, even though they may not understand the true meaning of trying to get something that you already have.  It allows for conversations  between the teacher and students about what you think something is, might really be something else. 

If You Traveled on The Underground Railroad

Author:  Ellen Levine                                                    
www.ellenlevineauthor.com/

Illustrator: Larry Johnson

About the Author:

Ellen Levine grew up and still lives in New York City.  She grew up in a house that was filled with books.  Her mother wrote reviews for books and theatre before she had children.  Her mother always took her to the library to pick out books to read.  She was always surrounded by literature and conversations with her parents about events happening around the world and home. 

Genre: Non-Fiction
Grade Level: 3-6

Synopsis:
This is a story about what the Underground Railroad was, and what is meant to be a slave.  What dangers slaves faced if they ran away, and what dangers there were if you helped a slave move through the Underground Railroad. 
The Underground Railroad was a system for runaway slaves to move from the South and slavery to the North and freedom.  It was a secret way to move North with special hiding places throughout the South and North.  People would help slaves with food, water, help with any medical issues and find hiding places until they could move on. 

Pre Reading Activity:

Questions:
What is a railroad used for?  What were slaves? What do you think an Underground Railroad was and what was it used for?

Activity:

Create a K-W-L chart with the class, what they know and want to know about an Underground Railroad

Post Reading Activity:

Questions:

What was the Underground Railroad?  What did it mean to be a slave?  When did the Underground Railroad end and why? 

Activity:

Have students write two paragraphs describing if they were living in the north, would they have helped slaves through the underground railroad or not and why.  
  

Reflection:

I think this is a good book for teaching about slavery and how people tried to move away from the harsh conditions they were in.  It also is a book that could be used for teaching tolerance.  I think teachers can talk about how awful slavery was, but with this book can show what some people in the north did for people from the south, it shows compassion in people, and demonstrates tolerance and acceptance of differences in all people.

My Friend Rabbit

Author/ Illustrator:  Eric Rohmann                       

http://www.ericrohmann.com/

About the Author:

Eric Rohmann was born in Riverside, Illinois in 1957.  He grew up in a suburb of Chicago. When he was a boy, he played Little League baseball, read comic books, and had a variety of collections, like, rocks/minerals, insects, leaves, and animal skulls.

Genre: Fiction
Grade Level: K-3

Synopsis:
This is a story about a rabbit that plays with his friend’s airplane and gets it stuck up in a tree.  He always has an idea for a solution, but that idea always turns out to be bad.   
Even though Rabbit’s ideas for a solution always turn out to be bad, his friend mouse knows that he means well and that he is his friend. 

Pre Reading Activity:

Questions:

Who has played with a new toy?  Who has played with a new toy of a friend’s? Who has let a friend play with a new toy of theirs?

Activity:

Have the class draw a picture of a new toy they let a friend play with that was theirs.

Post Reading Activity:

Questions:

What toy does Mouse let Rabbit play with?  What happens to the toy? Does Rabbit solve the problem?   Does mouse get upset?

Activity:

After reading the story, have students write two sentences to go with their picture they drew before they read the book, telling if something happened to their toy when their friend played with it.  Did their friend take good care of it, or did something bad happen to the toy?

Reflection:

I think this is a great story to share with young children showing them, even though a friend may do something to their toy, they might not mean for something bad to happen to it.  Not getting upset about it, knowing that accidents do happen can create a classroom where children are forgiving and understanding.  I think it is very important to not only model these behaviors but presenting through literature is a great way to allow children to make a connection between themselves and literature. 

Shadow

Author/ Illustrator:  Marcia Brown                                                        

About the Author:

Marcia Joan Brown was born on July 13, 1918, in Rochester, New York.  The family lived in many small towns in upstate New York including Cooperstown and Kingston as her father accepted new ministries.  She decided at an early age to become an artist and as a child, she constantly read, and especially loved folklore and fantasy. 

Genre: Fiction
Grade Level: 3-6

Synopsis:
This is a story about a shadow and what the essence of a shadow is.  The story describes what the shadow does during the night, and when there is a fire.  It is a shadow who traces back to its African roots.  In the story, the shadow takes on its own persona. 

The shadow is an African image.  It is shifts between the present and the spirits of the past.  It has no voice, it can put a spell over you, and it follows man everywhere, even to war.  The shadow becomes a part of everything.

Pre Reading Activity:

Questions:

Who has a shadow?  What makes a shadow?  Does the shadow go away or is it always there waiting for the light to be just right?

Activity:

Have the class make a list of things that cast shadows, and what makes them have a shadow.

Post Reading Activity:

Questions:

Where does the shadow live?  Do you think some cultures think shadows are more important than others? What do you think a shadow means for an African culture?  What do you think a shadow means to American culture?

Activity:

After reading the story, have the students draw an object and its shadow on a piece of paper and write a story from the shadows point of view.

Reflection:

I think this story is a great way to introduce multicultural literature into a classroom through something that is familiar to students.  It is a simple way to learn about another culture and what shadows mean to them.  I love the way the shadow takes on its own persona, making it important rather than just an image.

Joseph Had a Little Coat

 

Author/ Illustrator:  Simms Taback                                                     

www.simmstaback.com/

About the Author:

Simms Taback was born in New York City in 1932.  In 1953 Simms graduated from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Art.  He has worked as an illustrator, writer, art director and graphic designer, and has taught at the School of Visual Arts and Syracuse University.  He also was the illustrator for the first McDonald's happy meal.

Genre: Fiction
Grade Level:  1-4

Synopsis:

This is a story about a man who had a coat and then it got old and worn, so he turned it into something different out of the same material.  Every time the new thing he made got old and worn, he turned it into something different, every time he did this the new thing got smaller and smaller.

Pre Reading Activity:

Questions:

Have you ever had a pair of pants that your mom or dad cut to make shorts?  Have you ever cut a piece of paper into a smaller one? Have you ever had a cake and cut it into pieces and ate it all?

Activity:

Have the class make a list of things that can be made from a coat using only the material of the coat.

Post Reading Activity:

Questions:

What are some of the things he made from his coat? Why did he keep making something?  What was the last thing he made? 

Activity:

After reading the story, have the students take a piece of paper and make something with it, after the first thing is made, cut the paper smaller and make something new, when there isn’t anything left to make, write a story about what was made, how it was made and why chose to make it. 

Reflection:

I think this story is a beautiful story about making the best out of what you have.  We often are not happy with the things we have and are always wanting more, this story shows children using your imagination and skills can bring new things to something old and worn.  It also shows children if you end up with nothing, you can always make something out of nothing.  Every time the new thing got old and worn, he made something different, until he ended up with nothing.  But when he ended up with no material left, he wrote a book about it.