EDRE 4320 - Tabitha

Title: Mister and Me Author: Kimberly Willis Holt  Genre: Historical Fiction  Awards: N/A Age Group: 10-12 Summary: This book is about a little girl, her mother, who his a seamstress, and her grandfather who is a saw miller. The little girl's dad died when she was three, and another man has taken interest in her mother. The little girl isn't happy at all, nor willing to let this man in, in any way. Then, the man told her about him wanting to marry her mother, showed her the ring, and bought them pretty red and blue velvet. She ended up cutting the velvet up and hurting her mothers feelings after he asked her to marry him, and she said yes. The granddads sister got sick, so the mom and granddad went to New Orleans for a few days. She had to stay with the man, he cooked for her, played his record player, took her to he movies, and took her out to a juke joint and danced with her. After this, she favored him and was ok with them getting married. They were married ...

Title: The Other Side Author: Jacqueline Woodson  Genre: Historical Fiction Awards: N/A Age Group: 8-10 Summary: This book is about two little girls who we separated by a fence, that wasn't safe for them to climb over because the fence separated the whites and blacks. The little white girl would sit on the fence and watch the little black girl play, and one day she saw the black girls playing and asked if she could join, and one of the girls said no. They saw each other in town, and the black girl watched the white girl play in the rain. Once the rain stopped, the little girls introduced themselves and both sat on the fence together. Then, they all jumped together, and when the group was tired, they sat on the fence together.  Teacher Evaluation: This book showed me how we try to keep things separate but eventually, things all come together. I would use this book to teach that friends come in different shades, no matter what society says, "That's just...

Title: The Bell Rang Author: James E. Ransome  Genre: Historical Fiction  Awards: N/A Age Group: 6-8 Summary: This book is about the start of each day for slaves, and what their day contest of. Then, one day the other kisses the sister and gives her a very pretty handmade doll of sticks. The next day, the brother is gone, and the master and his dogs go and look for him. Days follow and they don't find him, and then a new week begins with the same morning bell, to start their same slave routine over again. Teacher Evaluation: This book was a very sad book, but with a splash of hope mixed with uncertainty. Not knowing if Ben made it or not, and having the family still in slavery gave me mixed emotions. I'm not sure how I would use this book in my classroom, but it was a good read.

Title: Mama Played Baseball Author: David A. Adler Genre: Historical Fiction  Awards: N/A Age Group: 6-8 Summary: This book is about a little girls dad being off at war, and her mother needing a job. It started with the girl and mother practicing throwing a baseball back and forth and how the mother wanted the little girl to make her reach for the ball, which would make her better. Once try outs came, the mother caught every ball but wasn't the best at batting, but she made the team. The grandparents would take the girl to the close games and she got to see how good her mom was and how people wanted her autographs after the game. Finally, the war was over, and the dad came home and they were happy to see each other in uniform. The book ended with them all sitting together eating, and listening to the radio. Teacher Evaluation: This book was amazing because it showed a woman playing a mans sport, doing something is loved which also allowed her to support her fa...

Title: The Royal Treasure Measure Author: Trudy Harris  Genre: Nonfiction  Awards: N/A Age Group: 6-9 Summary: This book is about a royal family who wants different things around the castle made, but every worker, uses a different form of measuring, so nothing is the correct length or size.  Teacher Evaluation:The king and queen hold a contest of measuring a riddle and the prize is to rule the land with the princess by his side. Everyone uses different things to measure, but none work until a man with nothing but his feet as measuring tools solves the riddle and wins the princesses heart. They live happily ever after, and the official new measuring tool his the length of his foot called the ruler because he's the ruler of the kingdom. I enjoyed this book, and all the ways the people tired to measure. I would use this book in a math class when we are getting ready to measure things with other objects and then compare them to the 12in. in a foot.

Title: Stars Beneath Your Bed The Surprising Story of Dust  Author: April Pulley Sayre  Genre: Nonfiction  Awards: N/A  Age Group: 6-9 Summary: This book was about dust. Dust comes from everywhere and everything, and it always moving around from place to place. We never truly know where the dust has been before getting to us, if it saw dinosaurs, or was in the African desert. The only true thing we know, is that tomorrow, it with move on to other things, and see many more stories. "The dust of our day will color the sunset we see. And tonight will paint the sunrise of tomorrow."  Teacher Evaluation: I didn't really like this book, it made me feel dirty. I basically got that dirt is always about and never really leaves. This isn't a book that I would have in my library.

Title: Its's Raining Author: Gail Gibbons  Genre: Nonfiction  Awards: N/A  Age Group: 8-10 Summary: This book is about the water cycle that includes rain, and the other elements that usually goes along with rain. Elements that include, thunder, lighting, flooding, and all the different types of clouds that produce different types of rain and how long each rain last, as well as the damage that comes with these, and pollution. Usually, at the end of every rain, there's a "Rainbow!"  Teacher Evaluation: I would use this book in sections, there was so much information, much more than I would give one child at one time. I would use this book when we are learning about rain, cloud types, evaporation and condensation, and the ecosystem that lives off of water.

Title: Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years  Author: Stacy McAnulty  Genre: Nonfiction  Awards: N/A Age Group: 5-8 Summary: This book is about the earth. It begins with the solar system, then moves to how the earth was created, the different changes and stages the earth went through to become a plant that contains life. It contains a timeline from when the earth arrived to where it is now, and ends with how excited the earth is to have people living on it. Teacher Evaluation: I would use this book during earth day, because it included how the earth was formed, to where the earth is now. It also begins with the solar system, so that could be used in a different lesson because it gives good details on the break down.

Title: Marco's Cinco de Mayo   Author: Lisa Bullard  Genre: Nonfiction  Awards: N/A Age Group: 5-7 Summary: This book is about Cinco de Mayo, which is the 5th of May. It talks about what the day actually means to Mexicans and Mexican Americans, how the day came into existences, and what the celebration consist of, from a child's point of view. The little boy's town throws a big parade, and the little boy has to dance on stage to a mariachi band, Mexican band. He gets nervous, but after a story from his cousin on Mexican history, he succeeded in the dance, and they end the celebration with tacos.  Teacher Evaluation: I liked this book, because it was broken down so that a child reading it could understand, and it had extra facts in the corners. I would have this book in my classroom library, and pull it out when we have cultural lessons, and during Cinco de Mayo. 

Title: The Watsons Go to Birmingham  Author: Christoper Paul Curtis  Genre: Audio Book (Fiction) Awards: Newbery Honor  Age Group: 12-18 Summary: This book is about a family of 5 who is living in Flint, Michigan. The middle son, Kenney, talks about his time in school, his brothers, and little sister, along with other members of the family. Kenny often gets picked on in school, but then his "Savior", a little boy much less fortunate than him comes along and the other kids start teasing him, they eventually become best friends. When the family goes on vacation, the story changes dramatically. They go from extremely cold temperatures to extremely hot temperatures, and to a strict grandmother who's agreed with the parents to keep Byron, the oldest brother, for the summer to stay out of trouble. While there, Kenney almost drowns in a whirlpool at the lake, and a bombing happens at Joeys, the baby sister, church. Kenney takes the bombing and drowning pretty har...

Title: Seeing the Elephant  Author: Pat Hughes  Genre: Historical Fiction  Awards: N/A Age Group: 10-14 Summary: This book is about a young boys letters to his brothers fighting in the civil war or their name, the elephant, and his interaction with a rebel. He starts off with one perspective of war, but once he's allowed to go to Washington with his aunt, whos a nurse, his mindset changes. Once in Washington, he goes to the hospital with his aunt and meets a rebel. The rebel tells his side of the story, which makes Iz question what he believes. The rebel solider dies, and Iz writes a letter to his brother saying, "He didn't go to battle, but I have seen the elephant. I never want to meet him again."  Teacher Evaluation: This book was a very interesting book to me. To see the changes from beginning to end, really allowed the reader to change feelings. I would use this book to show perspectives from the civil war, as well as teach students that o...

Title: Merci Suarez Changes Gears Author: Meg Medina  Genre: Realistic Fiction  Awards: Newbery  Age Group: 19-14 Summary: This book is about a Cuban girl in her 6th grade year at a private school. She faces many challenges with her family and her so called friends at school. Between her having to watch her twin cousins, and school projects, she has to deal with a friend, whos really a men girl, Edna. If that wasn't even to deal with, she ends up being the first sunshine buddy to have a boy as a buddy, which causes even more chaos for her. If life hadn't thrown enough lemons her way, her Lolo, grandfather, starts acting strangely and she eventually finds out he has Alzheimer's. Merci gets a break when she gets to be involved in a project making a mummy, there's a slight mishap, but the mishap leads to the demise of the mean girl and al is well with all of the students. The book ends with all of her family being together, celebrating Christmas, blessed t...

Title: My Building Author: Robin Isabel Ahrens  Genre: Realistic Fiction  Awards: N/A  Age Group: 5-7 Summary: This book is about a boy who lives in a tall apartment building. Its about all the encounters he has on a daily bases. From all the different doors lined in a row, to all kinds of people he sees that come out of them. The different décor, different smells, to all the different sounds coming from each apartment. On weekdays, he sees parents dressed in their work gear, and old people who smile every time they see him. All the children that he sees, and the delivery men, to the door man and the super, make him happy. He's glad he is a part of it and not just a passerby.  Teacher Evaluation: I would use this book in social studies when teaching about the different places each students lives, and what makes each place different, and the same.

Title: Earrings! Author: Judith Viorst  Genre: Realistic Fiction   Awards: N/A  Age Group: 8-12 Summary: This book is about a girl who wants earrings, but really she wants pierced ears. She has asked her parents, time and time again for earrings for pierced ears, but they come up with different excuses as to why she cant have them. They say she's too young, that they are premature, and inappropriate, but most of all, they are tacky. They ask her  what she wants for her birthday, Christmas and what she wants them to bring her back from vacation and she always says the same thing. However, she never gets what she wants. Even though teachers, dentist, mothers and grandmothers have them, she can't and she has to be patient. Finally, the minute they decide she's old enough for "earrings, beautiful, glorious earrings for pierced ears", she will have them. Teacher Evaluation: This book was a cute book about a girl wanting pierced ears, but I'm n...

Title: The Night Before Mother's Day Author: Natasha Wing Genre: Realistic Fiction Awards: N/A  Age Group: 5-7 Summary: This book is about the day before Mother's Day, and the plan they had for their mom. The dad devised a plan to get the mother out the house, so they could prepare for the next day, which was Mother's Day. The mom went running with her friends, so the girls started making cards to express their love with a coupon code inside. The next morning, they woke their mother up with a bouquet and their cards for her spa day. They pampered her at the spa and then severed her brunch, and ended with a toast to the world's greatest mom! Teacher Evaluation: I would use this book when it gets close to Mother's Day, to show the importance of a mother, or a mother figure. I need would mimic the crafts that the girls made for my students to make for their mother or mother figure.

Title: I Am Truly Author: Kelly Greenawalt Genre: Multicultural Awards: N/A Age Group: 4-6 Summary: This book is about a little girl named Truly. She has many things she can do, and many things she likes to do. She likes frogs and the color blue. She's a high achiever, and she is strong. She can tie her own shoes, and swim like a fish. She is small but mighty and can do anything. She is fabulous and you are truly fabulous too! Teacher Evaluation: I enjoyed this book, and read it to my girls. I would use this book just as a pick-me-up to my students with low confidence.

Title: Jamaica Tag-Along Author: Juanita Havill Genre: Multicultural  Awards: N/A  Age Group: 6-9 Summary: This book was about a girl named Jamaica, who wanted to be included in her big brother's basketball game. He didn't want her to tag-along, so she followed behind him. Once she saw an opportunity to jump into the game, she did and she almost made the shoot. The big boys were very upset and told her to get out of the way, and go to the swings. She didn't like not being able to play, but she went to the swings. She tired to swing, but a smaller boy kept walking in front of the swing. She then tired to build a castle but the little boy tried to help and ended up messing it up. The little boys mom told him that big kids don't like playing with small kids. Jamaica realized that she didn't like hearing that from her older brother, so she showed the little boy how to help build a castle. Then when her brother's game was over and the other kids left...

Title: Abuela  Author: Arther Dorros Genre: Multicultural  Awards: N/A  Age Group: 6-9 Summary: This book is about a grandmother or abuela, and her granddaughter. It talks about them going all over the city, and the grandmother telling stories about how she grew up and where she lived. They would fly in the sky like birds and visit all the big cites, and see all of their family. They end their adventure with a boat ride, hand in hand. Teacher Evaluation: This is a book that I would have my ELLs help me with. Once I would get to the Spanish phrases, I would have them say it and I would repeat after them. Since I am teaching them English, they can teach me some Spanish.

Title: Families Are Different Author: Nina Pellegrini Genre: Multicultural  Awards: N/A Age Group: 5-7 Summary: This book is about a girl name Nico. She has a big sister that looks like her, but parents who don't. Her and her sister are from Korea, but her parents are not. They do not look alike. She use to get very upset because her friends looked like their parents, and she didn't. Her mom told her their are many different types of families and not all of them are the same. She started looking around and saw many different family types. Some where the son and dad looked alike but not the mom, and some who didn't have a dad. After seeing all the different families, she didn't think she was strange anymore and she felt that her family was stuck together with really strong glue, because there's a ton of love around her.  Teacher Evaluation: I would use this book to show how all families are different , and that love can be given even if you aren...