A Picture Book of Rosa Parks              by: David A. Adler Illustrated by: Robert Casilla

This book was a very intresting perspective into the life of Rosa Parks. Rosa Park is most known for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger. The book goes on to say that the problem with Rosa Parks not moving off the seat was due to educational and social segreation. By this women being so braved she paved the way  for equal freedoms and rights in our country.

Classroom Application: This book can be used in the classroom to initate students beginning to read autobiography and biography books. After students get a better understanding of the genre - students will pick another famous women and tell us about her life later.  

Sideways Stories From Waysides School

By: Louis Sachar

Illustrated By: Julie Brincklo

This humorous book is the first out of the series written by Louis Sachar. The book is designed in a chapter layout - each chapter being the name of a student that attended Wayside school. Wayside School is an interesting learning environment, its was built to be 30 story tall with only one classroom on each floor. Except for during the construction, the builder left out the nineteenth floor and an elevator. Not only is the school environment out there - so is the learning. From teachers that turn students into apples, to students who fall out of window, to students who can read only upside down to many other things that shouldn't be taking place at a school. 

Classroom Application: This book is good to use in a classroom as a read aloud. Another activity students should do is create a new chapter to add into this book. The new chapter should be from the perspective of a new student that was just added into Ms. Jewels classroom.

Smokey Night

By: Eve Bunting

Illustrated By: David Diaz

This multicultural children book expresses the traumatic and emotional aspects of the riots of Los Angeles with abstract pictures and simplistic language. The story is told from a young African American boy, named David, point of view. Throughout the book readers see the issue of racism and acceptance from Daniel's mom and Mrs. Kim, their Korean next door neighbor and store owner. Daniels mom would not shop at Mrs. Kim store - because she believed that they should only shop at stores of "the same kind". The only thing that these two people knew about each other was that they both had a cat, even though they lived in the same building. Throughout the book, readers hear about riots in the street and they have experienced racism personally. When their building burnt down and both cats were lost and then found together - we see an attitude change in Mrs. Kim and Daniels mom. Daniels mom thought it was interesting that these cats didn't even know each other but were together. Daniel said that " they probably didn't know each other before. Now they do." Daniel statement became relevant to Mrs. Kim and his mom too - at the end of the book these two different people become accepting and got to know one another. 

Classroom Application: This book is a very thought provoking Smokey Night could be used to teach students about riots - what it is like to be in a riot and some of the reasons for rioting. Students could research incidence of rioting in the U.S. and what is common and different around them.

Amelia Earhart

By: Jonatha A. Brown

        This non-fictional biography introduced an important 20^th century figure – Amelia Earhart. Amelia grew up in a time period where women were still expected to hold motherly jobs like being a nurse, raising children, be a teacher etc. However Earhart was not this way, her parents always allowed them to be active and curious. After Amelia went to school in Philadelphia she tried many different things and after a short period of time became a nurse’s helper. However her ambitious quickly changed paths again – after riding in a plane for a few minutes with her father she quickly realized that flying is what she wanted to do. Amelia tried to dress the part, meaning she would wear more manly clothes, when flying. In 1922 Amelia received her pilot license and became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean and to make solo flights across the country.  Her last mission was never completed and Amelia Earhart was considered missing. 

Class Application: Have the students research more in depth about Amelia Earhart. Have them figure out more details about her life and then write her autobiography. (Meaning, students will need to write from Amelia Earhart perspective)

http://www.mixbook.com/photo-books/education/amelia-earhart-5278486

Thank you, Mr. Falker

By: Patricia Polacco

          Thank you, Mr. Falker is a very powerful and inspiring book. This book builds on the experiences the author Patricia Polacco experienced in Elementary School through the character Trisha in the story. The book shows the struggle that Trisha went through when it came to reading. Words and numbers to her looked like wiggly lines and were always jumbled. Trisha wondered why she could not read and was made fun of by the kids at her first school and then by the students at her new school in California. However, with the help and dedication of a new teacher, Trisha life begins to change. After he identified the problem, he worked with her academically and provides protection and comfort at school to her. At the end of the book we see that Mr. Falker did teach Trisha how to read and the significant impact it made on her personally was tear breaking.

Opinions: Patricia Polacco used her personal life story of struggling with dyslexia and showed the impact of it socially – both negatively and positively. With the help of effective teachers like, Mr. Falker, students are able to overcome these hurdles in their education. This is a very touching and emotional story! 

Classroom Applications: This book is a great autobiography to expose students to. This book can address how everyone does not learn at the same rate or way - so we must be accepting of differences. ( No teasing etc). The teacher could have the students write a letter to someone who has helped them achieve or overcome something in their life. (Makes students put themselves into her shoes - and writing skills) 

The Princess and the Pea

By: Lauren Child

Captured By: Polly Borland

With this version of The Princess and the Pea, the king and queen came to their son and told him he had to marry a princess. The prince agreed but said she must be “more mesmerizing than the moon and I must find her more fascinating than all the stars in the sky. And there must be a certain... something about her.”  The queen and king then threw a Royal Ball where all the single princesses were invited but none were right. The prince then traveled to other kingdoms to find a princess but he still couldn’t find a princess. One night a princess arrived at their doorsteps drenching wet from the storm. The queen and king invited her in and allowed her to stay the night. The queen thought she was a princess so tested it by putting a pea under 12 mattresses. The next morning when the queen asked if she slept okay the princess responded she did – because princesses have manners. The queen being upset about thinking she was not a real princess, still invited her to breakfast. The prince saw the princess and thought that she was more mesmerizing than the moon and more fascinating than all the stars in the sky… and had certain something. Suddenly, the princess bent over to pick up a cup that the prince dropped and the queen observed that she struggled to do this. The princess then admitted that she did not sleep well last night and soon after, the prince and the princess were married.  

The Princess and the Pea

Adapted and Illustrated By: Alain Vaes

In this adaptation of “The Princess and the Pea”, the setting is placed in the land of Crestalia. There was an Upper Crestalia and a Lower Crestalia. In Upper Crestalia lived Prince Ralph with his father – King Adolph and his mother – Queen Frieda. One day Prince Ralph approached his mother and told her that he wanted to get married. Queen Frieda was not very fond about this idea – she didn’t want anyone to come and take her germs so, she told the prince that the princess must pass a series of test before they could get married. The first three princesses did not pass the test and the prince was very upset and went for a drive.  His car suddenly broke down but luckily the princess of Lower Crestalia, worked for a car pickup service, stopped and helped the prince. Prince Ralph thought the princess was beautiful and told her about his mother series of test before he could marry and took her to his home. Princess Opal passed the Queens two test – and then she passed her final test by being bothered by a pea under 20 mattresses. Knowing this the Prince and Princess was soon married – and the Queen was happy because Princess Opal brought her own set of gems.

The Princess and the Pea 

Retold By: Stephanie Peters

Illustrated By: M.A. Lamoreaux

In this humorous adaptation of “The Princess and the Pea”, the Queen and the King confronted their son and told him he had to marry a princess. The prince went searching all over the world for a true princess and quickly realized that they were hard to find. After having no luck, the prince returned home to rest. Suddenly, a princess arrived outside of their door. She was drenching wet from the storm and was invited inside their house. The prince thought she was beautiful and throughout the night realized that they had so much in common with each other. However, the queen doubted her being a real princess so she set a pea under forty mattresses to see if she would be bothered by it during the night.  The next morning the princess admitted that she did not sleep a wink last night. Suddenly after, the queen told her of her test! The prince then asked for her hand in marriage; since he knew that he had his mother approval, and then these “two peas in a pod” were married.

The Cowboy and the Black-Eyed Pea
By: Tony Johnston
Illustrated By: Warren Ludwig

In this adaptation of “The Princess and the Pea”, Farethee Well is looking to marry a real cowboy.  With her father’s passing he left his daughter, Farethee Well, with her a “fine herd of longhorns, a corral of horses, and the biggest spread in the great state of Texas.”  Like her father suspected, cowboys came from all over asking for her hand in marriage. Farethee Well knew she had to marry a real cowboy so devised a test to determine who was. She would put a black-eye pea beneath his saddle blanket and then send him out on the range. If the cowboy came back sore or bothered then she would know he was a real cowboy. After several failed attempts a man showed up outside of her door during a bad storm seeking shelter. After putting a black eyed pea under his saddle she sent him out to check on the longhorns – but, he kept coming back asking for more saddle blankets because he was not comfortable.  After a while, Farethee Well heard the thundering herd and joined the cowboy out there to help – then she realized he was a real cowboy because he was bothered by the small black-eyed pea! Farthee Well did not have to look anymore for a real cowboy to help her with her inherited fortune because the real cowboy and her got married soon after that stormy night. 

Classroom Application for the above 4 books: These adaptation to the book, The Princess and the Pea, was very insightful. Teachers should allow all students to examine all of these books and then be able to realize what makes a fairy tale - a fairy tale? What are these characteristics? Through the online resource, Animoto, students can type of elements they see similar or different in the four book as well as fairy tale aspects!  (The link below is an example of the online resource. )

 

A Wrinkle in Time

By: Madeleine L'Engle

This long science fiction chapter book is the story of a high school aged girl, name Meg Murray, who is transported on an adventure through time and space with her younger brother, Charles Wallace, and her friend Calvin O' Keefe. They are all transported together to try to rescue her father. Her father is a very gifted scientist  - so they will travel through this "wrinkle" in space and time to find him.

Throughout the book they have visits with Mrs. Whatsits and her friends Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which. From them they learned that the universe is threatened by a great evil think - including the planet that Mr. Murray is one. These three friends, Mrs. Whatsits, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which take the children to Camazotz and told them to remain together in their quest to find Mr. Murray. After meaning struggles and being captured until Meg used th real weapon - concentrating her love. By doing this family is reunited and everyone is happy.

Classroom Application: I would use it as a read aloud or individual reading. This book is a great and interesting look into science fiction so, I would use this book to begin discussing what makes a book science fiction? How do we know this is not real?

Then you could have children write a alternative ending to the story - what if Meg had not found the weapon? What then would have happened?

Also: I would have students have a chat about the book together. They will be divided up into groups - then will have a live chat about the book.

(Click the link below to see an example of Chat:)
paltalk.com_WrinkleinTime/discussion