text sets cont. edu 325

7/30/2019 Text Sets Cont. EDU 325

1/16

Barrett, J. (1978). Cloudy with a chance of meatballs. New York, NY: Aladdins Paperbacks.

Summary:

Cloudy with a chance of meatballs is written by Judi Barrett and illustrated by Ron Barett. This book is a

hilarious fiction story about food falling from the sky. In the town Chewandswallow, where the book

takes place, food falls from the sky for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Unfortunately, the residents of

Chewandswallow cannot choose what falls from the sky therefore it is always a surprise! As time goes on

in the book, the food starts to get larger and larger which causes uproar in the town. Everyone in the town

decides to put their brains together and use teamwork to figure out a way to save their town from the large

amounts of food falling from the sky.

How to use it in the classroom:

This book can be extremely helpful if a teacher is planning a lesson on people working together and

teamwork in the classroom. Many of the characters in the book work together to save their town which

provides a great lesson to teach students that teamwork is an effective way to solve their problems insideof the classroom or in the outside world.


2/16

Beck, A. (2001).Elliot digs for treasure. New York: Elliot Moose Andrea Beck Inc.

Summary:

When Elliot finds a map with a mysterious X, he automatically thinks it must mean there is buriedtreasure hidden in the garden. So out he goes to dig and dig, dreaming of the gold and jewels that await

him. While digging, his friends Socks, Beaverton and Angel come upon him and question what he is

doing. When he explains what he is digging for, they eagerly join him creating a deeper and deeper hole.

After hitting their shovels into rocks, coins, toy trucks and a tin whistle, the friends discover that the map

isn't a treasure map at all, and instead a map labeling where Lionel was going to plant a tree! Although

Elliot felt a little silly, he loved to dig and that was his biggest, deepest hole yet. Afterwards, Elliot and

his crew then discovered that they've dug the hole so deep they're trapped with no escape. By working

together to create a seesaw out of a shovel and rock, they were able to free Socks, Beaverton and Angel

by catapulting them into the air. It was then Elliots turn and he held on tight while his friends pulled him

up, up, up to freedom. Although they didnt find any gold or jewels, Elliot realized that he had in fact

found treasures which consisted of a rock with golden sparkles, an ancient coin, a rare tin whistle, and a

splendid toy truck!


This book can be used for a variety of lesson plans that include friendship, culture and diversity, and the

concept of treasure hunts. For friendship, this book is a prime example of friends working together with a

common goal in mind. A teacher can discuss with their students how Elliot and his friends worked

together and what good characteristics his friends displayed. For culture and diversity, a teacher can

explain that each character was a different animal such as we are all different and that they each brought

something unique to the story. Finally for the concept of treasure hunts, a teacher can explain to children

what a treasure map is and have them create fictional treasure maps and explain what their own personal

treasures are.


3/16

Coleman, M. (1996).A silly snowy day. New York: Scholastic Inc.

Summary:

A tortoise named Shelley wants to go outside and explore what winter is like, however her parents

insisted that she go to sleep. Shelley waits until her parents are asleep, and then goes outside. As she

begins her exploration, she meets a few animals such as a duck, dog, cat, and bird, who tell her its

ridiculous that shes outside. They then proceed to show her how they could do a variety of things that

allow them to stay warm outside. After hearing that from everyone she decided to go home, but finds a

much quicker way to get there. Before getting back into her bed, she ends up sliding and breaking into the

shed and her house. Her mother wakes up and asks her if she has been outside, but by then Shelley was

fast asleep.


This story explains how some animals hibernate, so when you are teaching students about reptiles thathibernate you could read this story.


4/16

Cronin, D., & Lewin, B. (2000). Click, clack, moo: Cows that type. New York: Simon &

Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Summary:

The humorous tail of cows on a farm banding together to make their lives better is one that not onlyprovokes laughter from the reader, but also a meaningful lesson. Farmer Brown's cows, who find an old

typewriter in the barn and proceed to write letters to Farmer Brown, listing various demands. When

Farmer Brown refuses to comply with their demands, the cows take action by writing notes that state

"Sorry. We're closed. No milk today." Soon the striking cows and Farmer Brown are forced to reach a

mutually agreeable compromise, with the help of a neutral party, the duck.


This book can be used to show children that if they work together they can be successful in creating

change. The concept of "going on strike" is even included. Children can also be introduced to the

structure of letter writing as the Farmer and his barnyard animals communicate and negotiate through

letters.


5/16

De, G. D. (2003).Liar, liar, pants on fire. New York: SeaStar Books.

Summary:

Gilbert the porcupine is nervous about putting on a play in front of the rest of his class. He had hoped to

have the smallest role, but when he was chosen to play the largest part with the most important linesGilbert didn't think he could do it. With some encouragement from his friends Gilbert learned his linesand embraced his character. To help him accomplish this, Gilbert took home part of his costume, a hat, to

help him stay in character. Gilberts little sister took the hat from Gilbert without him knowing, causing

him to lie the next day in school to avoid getting in trouble. Gilbert is then taught a very important lesson

on why lying is never the best thing to do.

How to use this in the classroom:

This book is clearly fictional based on the animal characters and their ability to speak and go to school,

but life lessons are taught throughout the plot. Young children often learn the hard way that lying is

something they should not do, so this children's book is perfect to reiterate that exact lesson.


6/16

Hosta, D. (2007).If I were a tree. Flemington, N.J: Brown Dog Books.

Summary:

This children's book brings light to something children or all humans for that matter, often over look,

trees. Considering that trees are vital to our own survival it is nice to take a step back and admire them for

all the beauty they embody. Dar Hosta includes trees of all different varieties and encourages readers to

really think about what it would be like to be a tree. The final pages of the book explain and show all of

the different parts of the tree and include fun facts about tress.


This book could easily be used in a science or nature unit. On top of that there are countless creative

writing assignments that could be based off of a lesson regarding this book. It also promotes recycling as

all copies of the book are made from 100% recycled materials. The structure of this book is also very

alluring; instead of a square shape it is more like a rectangle to resemble a tree which can be very

appealing to students.


7/16

Howe, J. (1999).Horace and morris but mostly dolores . New York: Simon and Schuster Children's

Publishing Division.

Summary:

Horace, Morris and Dolores were best friends that loved to go on adventures, especially Dolores. They

sailed the seven sewers, climbed Mount Ever-Rust and dared to go where no mouse had gone before. The

three of them were inseparable and unstoppable until one day they came upon a club that stated MEGA -

MICE NO GIRLS ALLOWED! Horace and Morris had a tough decision to make but entered the club

without Dolores. Even though she would have fitted perfectly into the adventure packed club, Dolores

made her way to the Cheese Puffs, No Boys Allowed! club. Horace, Morris and Dolores missed playing

with each other greatly until one day Dolores decided to quit the Cheese Puff club with another girl who

was sick of making things out of cheese. Dolores and Chloris decided to go to the boys club to gather

Horace, Morris and their new friend Boris to create a club of their own where everyone was allowed.


This book would be great for topics on friendship and gender roles. A teacher should explain what

stereotypes and gender roles are and use the book for examples that display how the characters didnt play

into their gender roles and were friends regardless of their gender. Additional lessons would be a reading

lesson that allows a teacher to ask questions that encourage comprehension and thinking skills such as

Why did Horace and Morris stop playing with Dolores?, What did Dolores do when Horace and

Morris started their own club? or Was Dolores happy with her club? Why or why not? Finally, a social

studies lesson would be great because the book states that the mice climb Mount Ever-Rust however

humans in fact have climbed Mt. Everest, in the Himalayan Mountains. The children could work in small

groups to find out about Mt. Everest: where it is located, its height, and stories of people who have

climbed it.


8/16

Jennings, S., Bourgeois, P., Clark, B., Southern, S., Jeffrey, S., Sinkner, A., & Walker, T. (2002).

Franklin and the magic show. Toronto: Kids Can Press.

Summary:

Franklin the turtle once saw a magic show that sparked his interest to learn how to put on his own magic

show for his friends and use the trick of disappearing as his main act. As he prepared for the show he

never thought about how he was actually going to disappear, he only thought that his magic cape, hat, and

wand would be enough to have a successful show. When the magic show for his friends didnt go so well,

Franklin was down in the dumps but luckily had his father to encourage him to try learning a different

trick. Once Franklin practiced and got the trick down, he held a much more successful magic show for his

friends.


This book would also be a great activity to introduce magic to students which would be very eye catching

experience. For example, by asking a magician to come into the classroom for show and tell in which he

can explain what magic is all about. Many classroom management skills can be created using the concept

of magic such as when someone is presenting something they get to wear the cape and use a wand or a

new spelling word can be picked out of the hat.


9/16

Johnson, D.B.(2003).Henry climbs a mountain. New York: Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Company.

Summary:

Henry wants to climb a mountain, and nothing is going to stop him. While he was on his way to get his

shoe from the shoemaker, he was stopped by Sam, the tax collector. Henry gets put in jail because he

failed to pay his taxes. He refuses to pay to a state that allows slavery. Being locked up doesnt stop

Henry, he was still able to splash into rivers, swing from trees, and meet strangers, and it was all from his

imagination. Sam finally came back and told Henry that someone had paid his taxes, and that he was free.

Sam then asked Henry how it felt to be free. Henry told him that it felt like he was on top of a mountain.


This book could be used to introduce the concept of slavery in a children friendly way. This would be a

great social studies activity in which students could explain what slavery is and how it has affected our

history. The students can relate back to the story to conclude how slaves might have felt during that time

period. This book could also be used for teaching students about nature. After reading this book, a teacher

could have students draw what they consider to be a part of nature such as trees, mountains and rivers.


10/16

King, T. (1992).A coyote columbus story . Toronto, Ontario : Groundwood Books.

Summary:

A Coyote Columbus story is written by Thomas King and William Ken Monkman. This fiction story isabout a tricky coyote that makes up all the rules in the town and believes she is queen. Throughout the

story the coyote makes up different rules about how to play ball which causes no one to want to play with

her because she keeps changing the rules so that she can win. Later in the story, another character comes

in, Christopher Columbus and decides that the moose, turtles and beavers are not impressive and instead

he wants to take something that is more valuable. This causes Christopher Columbus to try and steal the

human beings because of their race.


This book can be a helpful source for teaching students about diversity and stereotypes. The coyote adds a

playful attempt to help relay the message to the readers. Breaking through stereotype boundaries is a bigproblem in the world, but if it is stopped at a young age it would be a huge success. This book can be a

great way to introduce Christopher Columbus as a nonfictional character and someone in history who has

made significant impacts in our world.


11/16

Klise,K. (2004). Shall i knit you a hat?: A Christmas yarn. New York: Henry Holt and Company, LLC.

Summary:

There is a blizzard coming on Christmas Eve, and Mother Rabbit wants to keep her son warm. With that,she makes him a hat to cover his ears which he falls in love with! He then decides he wants to make a hatfor his friends as a special Christmas present. Each hat must be a perfect fit for his friends - the dog, the

goose, the horse and the cat so the Little Rabbit stays up late helping his mother to personalize each of the

hats. The following day they deliver the hats to their friends and the friends loved their presents and were

so thankful to Little Rabbit and his mother. They also got the hats just in time for the first snowflake to

fall!


This book would be a great story to read during the winter as it highlights the concepts of winter, the

weather, Christmas and the clothing worn during this time of year. A teacher could also focus on

friendship and how Little Rabbit and his friends showed great characteristics of being a good friend.


12/16

Kovalski, M. (1999). Omar on ice. Markham, Ontario : Fitzhenry & Whiteside.

Summary:

Omar on ice is written by Maryann Kovalski. It is a fiction story about Omar the bear, who dreamedabout being the best artist in the world. When he began his drawing in class, it turned out poorly and no

one could recognize what it was which made Omar feel very discouraged. Omar thought that he wasnt

good at anything until he got outside to go ice-skating. Everyone in the class told him he was the best ice

skater but he was too bummed about not being able to draw that he hadnt noticed . One of his friends,

Elise, fell while ice-skating and that triggered his brain to teach her. The second he began ice skating he

completely forgot how bad he was at drawing and remembered he was really good at ice skating. When

he was done gliding around the ice, he realized that his blades formed pictures in the ice and suddenly he

realized he was not only good at skating, but also drawing in the ice.


This is a very good book when teaching the concepts of never giving up on yourself and to pursue your

dreams. By Omar allowing himself to try ice skating he in fact encouraged himself to pursue drawing as

well, just in another form. This book can also create a lesson plan that focuses on feelings and how to

handle feelings such as disappointment, happiness, and frustration.


13/16

Lundell, M. (1998).Lad the dog, the bad puppy. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.

Summary:

Lad a dog: The bad puppy, is written by Margo Lundell and illustrated by Don Bolognese. This fictionchildrens book is about two dogs that belong to the same family and fall in love with each other. After

some time, Lady, the female dog has three puppies, but unfortunately two pass, leaving one left, Wolf.

Following the birth, Lady becomes very ill and the vet has to take her away. This causes Lad to be very

sad but then realized that it is his job to take care of Wolf and teach him the ways of life. As time goes on,

they become very close and Lad is an excellent father. At the end of the book, Wolf falls into the water

and Lad comes to save the day! Lastly, Lady comes back and makes Lad very happy and everything goes

back to normal where Lad and Lady raise Wolf together as a family.


The bad puppy is a very good source to teach students about the relationship of family and how much thepeople in your life mean to you. This book shows that family will always be there for each other through

everything. Many children at a young age think their parents are embarrassing, or annoying but this book

shows that the people who are the closest to you are your family and those are the ones that will help you

concur anything you set your mind to.


14/16

Staake, B. (2006). The red lemon. New York: Golden Books

Summary:

Farmer McPhee worked long and hard to grow his precious lemons. He shouted The lemons are ready!

and was so thrilled to pick them up and ship them to the stores via train. He felt there wasnt any fruitquite like lemons because theyre tangy, theyre tasty, theyre tart and so yellow! Farmer McPhee

dreamed of his lemons and what he could make out of them such as pie, drinks, cookies and fruity shakes.

However, one day Farmer McPhee noticed that there was a red lemon which crushed his dreams and he

felt the lemon must go. With that, he tossed the red lemon over the water and on to a deserted island. Two

hundred years later, the big lemon orchard had vanished and the small island sprouted a seed which led to

20 red lemon trees. The islanders loved them and used them in many desserts since they were six times as

sweet as yellow lemons. Finally, people began to travel across oceans just to get a bite of the sweet red

lemon!


This book can be used to discuss with students the importance of seeing the bigger picture. When dealing

with situations that involve change, children can often become fearful and with that it is important to

teach them to be open-minded and tolerant of these changes. This book also demonstrates diversity and

how it is important to accept those who are different from you. The author adds a statement that when

life serves you red lemons, the smart thing to do is to make red lemonade" which is a great lesson to live

by!


15/16

Useman, S., & Useman, E. (1999). Tibby tried it. Washington, DC: Magination Press.

Summary:

Most tree swallows are able to fly high into the sky soaring and dipping to catch insects unlike Tibby, ayoung bird who is unable to fly because of his crooked wing. Sometimes Tibby felt lonely because the

other birds didnt talk to him or made fun of his disability. His mother encouraged him by giving him a

special cloth to learn to do many wonderful things with. Although Tibby was confused, he sat out on his

branch where he met a new friend, Sarafina the Squirrel. She then showed her how to climb and with that

Tibby was able to learn a variety of new skills such as sliding like a snake, hopping like a rabbit, hiding

like a turtle, and zapping like a frog. Along with new skills came new friends which made Tibby realize

that although he cannot fly, he can do other things. One day, Mrs. Robin cried out as her baby who cannot

fly fell out of the nest. Tibby quickly used her skills of climbing, sliding, hopping, hiding, and zapping to

rescue the baby robin from the Meany cat. That day everyone learned that birds can do more then fly and

the fellow tree swallows congratulated Tibby instead of laughing at him.


This is an inspiring book that will show children that physical disabilities dont have to slow anyone

down and that trying is what matters most. A teacher can use this book to discuss that although we all

have something that we are unable to do, there are many things that we can do that may surprise us. A

lesson that showcases our talents would be a great way to build self esteem in a classroom!


16/16

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