Blood on the River

I have never been a fan of picking up a historical fiction novel to read for excitement...that is, until I picked up this great book.  I began reading this book to my fourth grade class as a prelude to our social unit discussing the settlement Jamestown.  My love for this book has come from my students' eagerness to have me read it aloud.  There is nothing more intriguing that to have your students begging you to read to them. 

This book is unlike any other children's book I have read so far.  The graphic language and in depth description of the colonists survival is a risk to read in the classroom.  However, this risk is exactly what may be needed in the classroom to invigorate your students.  The story follows a young boy named Samuel who has found his way, through circumstance, into being a servant of Captain John Smith.  Samuel encounters plenty of tough times as he challenges not only his peers, but his captain as well. 

Reading this book in your classroom will bring you and your students one of the most powerful experiences of the school year.  Your students will be captured in the fine details of the book, as if they were themselves characters.  Please, check this one out!!

Boy: Tales of Childhood

       Roald Dahl was is my favorite author from childhood.  Although I did not have experience with all of his works I have read a few of his books including The BFG, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Matilda. What really got me into his books was the illustrations on his book covers.  Quentin Blake is the man responsible for bringing all of Roald Dahl's characters to life, and he is the man responsible for inspiring me to pick up my first Roald Dahl book.  In honor of Blake,here is a link to his website.  But, this is about Roald Dahl.

      It wasn't really surprising to learn about all of Roald Dahl's family issues.  His books contain so many issues between parents and their children, just look at Matilda for an example.  From reading this autobiography, Dahl's childhood experiences are definitely reflected in his written works.  My favorite thing about this autobiography is its use of illustrations, and its inclusion of photographs and letters.  I think these items bring this book to life.  It also helps students see the reality of Dahl's experiences.  Students can see Dahl's writing and be inspired by the realization that even the great author's were once children in school just like them.  This is what makes Dahl such a great author, he is always able to recreate the essence of childhood experiences.

David Beckham...a biography

David Beckham: Gifted and Giving Soccer Star

                How educational can a biography about the most internationally know sports superstar really be?  Well this excellently written biography, authored by J Chris Roselius, captures the essence of what students want to know.  The book provides an great description of Beckhams life as a sports star and his life experience before he became famous.  Along with the descriptions of his life Roselius chose to give small descriptions of the things that make his life so special.  There are detailed explanations of highlights from Beckham's soccer career, teams he has been a part of, his relationships with other superstars and more.  This biography also explains how Beckham has used his success in soccer to help underprivileged people in the world.

              I could imagine including a lesson using a text like this in my classroom.  Students could have the opportunity to research their own famous figure and create their own biography with illustrated highlights including captions.  These captions are what capture the essence of a picture book.  Pictures and illustrations are great, but captions are able to bring these images to life for the reader.  This book is a collection of biographies about sports stars who give back.  J Chris Roselius has been a journalist for a decade and has written several sports books. 

Non Fiction Picture Books

           Non-Fiction is my favorite genre.  I don't know why, but I love being presented with the facts and having excellent pictures to look at.  I choose books that I believed would grasp the interests of the average elementary students and could be used for classroom instruction.  All of these books could be incorporated in a multitude of lessons and would be excellent additions to a classroom library.  Non-fiction picture books are like miniature textbooks that are a lot more fun, and easier to wrap your mind around.  Here is a brief description of the books I've chosen.

The Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System

             Ms. Frizzle, the world’s greatest science teacher, takes her classroom on another journey, this time being through the solar system.  What began with a field trip to the planetarium, led to a Ms. Frizzle being lost in the asteroid belt and the students flying all the way to Pluto.  Each page is illustrated with plenty of detail that capture varying levels of astronomical aspects.  There are captions which describe vocabulary and explain processes. 

            This book has the ability to empower a solar system unit overview.  There are various vocabulary and definitions to assist student’s learning.  Students can pick this book up on their own and be not only enthralled by the storyline, but also by the information presented, and the excellent illustrations.  Once again, I just love looking through the pictures and learning all of the excellent information.

Spies

          This book is an amazing exploration into the world of espionage.  It takes you on an illustrated journey from the beginnings of spies to spies of the future.  It also describes many of the exciting tools and gadgets that spies have used in the past and are being used.  Every kid has wanted to be a spy once in their life.  This book explains the ins and outs of espionage including where to place bugs, where secret information is commonly shared, and the best ways to disguise yourself.  Once again, this book would be an excellent addition to a classroom library, most likely in upper elementary.

Creating Cuisine: Have You Got What It Takes to be a Chef

       This book takes the essence of being the head chef of a four star restaurant and fits it into forty pages of excellent illustrated inviting text.  This book includes recipes, daily schedules and routines, global food listings and more.  I always wanted to be a chef and after reading this my dreams have just grown bigger.  This is a great book and can be used in first through secondary classrooms.  It is that good!

Ripley's Believe It of Not!: Human Body

       Now you may think that anything sponsored by Ripley's believe it or not is not really made for classroom purposes.  Well, I was thinking the same thing when I picked up this great work of non-fiction.  I wish I had this book when I was in school.  I think I would've became a doctor.  This book not only contains excellent information that students can use for projects and research, but also it contains fun facts and interesting ways people have pushed the limits of the human body.  I can imagine students in upper elementary grades fighting over this book during independent reading.

31 Ways to Change the World...by 4,386 children, we are what we do, :) and You!

        I can't even remember how I found this book.  Actually I think it found me with its amazingness.  This is exactly what I needed for my classroom and I know it will be included in my first writing activity on the first day of school.  This book is really written by 4,386 children.  It is simply ideas that students have that can change the world.  This is an excellent way to boost students excitement about environment awareness and responsibility.  But this book is more than just a product of the green revolution.  It is a product of good people looking to have a great impact on society.  I think it captures the essence of what is sought by loving and caring teachers.

I decided to do a video in order to show you all how truly excited I am about non-fiction.

The Curse of the Romany Wolves

The Curse of the Romany wolves is an action packed sequel to The Daring Adventures Of Penhaligon Brush which was the beginning of an adventurous tale following Penhaligon and his friends.  In the first story by S. Jones Rogan, Penhaligon was able to save his village and his friends from the torment of Sir Derek.  In this tale Penhaligon is called upon once again to save on of his pals from the curse of Romany Wolves, which is a disease once believed to be extinct.  Penhaligon was once a shy fellow, who never pictured himself fighting evil and saving lives.  This story has all of the elements of a great book.  Penhaligon is likable character and is the underdog.  His supporting characters are full of personality, and the reader can place his or herself right into the story.

This fantasy novel contains excellent illustrations that inspire the reader throughout the story to envision each and every event.  As a fantasy book should, there is a world created for the reader to dive into and discover all the small details as if it were real.  S. Jones Rogan does an excellent job of writing descriptively to provide this imagery.  This is a great novel to have in the classroom.  Students can grasp an excellent understanding of setting and description through reading this excellent tale!

Stone Fox

Stone Fox is an excellent novel about a young boy named Willy, who enters a dog sled race in order to raise money and save his grandfather's land. Willy and his dog Searchlight face numerous perils in this adventure as they are the underdogs against the undefeated competitor Stone Fox.  The story is very compelling.  However, there needs to back a foundation set before reading this text about the setting.  This story would need some assistance from the social studies classroom, as it involves citizenship and Native American issues.

After reading this for the second time in my life with about 15 years in between all I can say is what a story.  I chose this novel because of the disgust my mind had for it since I read some time late in my elementary years.  How could I be so naive?  If anything it may have just been the author's writing style or maybe the dreary ending to the story that caused me, in my youth, to dislike this novel.  The ending of the story is tough to take and if you are giving this book as a novel for the class to read, be sure to warn your students of the happenings at the end of the story. 

 

Brain Juice: Science, Fresh Squeezed!

As a student who has a reading history haunted by poetry I was actually quite excited to find a poetry collection that made interdisciplinary connections.  Carrol Diggory Shields, the concoctor of this collection did an excellent job of making tough science subjects interesting and fun through the use of rhyme and rhythm.  Some poems actually include instructions to include live music while performing.  This collection can be used well in multiple facets from the science classroom to the music room.

The poems use technical scientific language, but are written cleverly and poetically, which allows for a lesson in science as well as poetry.  The collection covers multiple subject areas including Earth Science, Chemistry, Physics, and the Life Sciences.  Due to the scientific nature of this book, it is most useful for upper level students.  However, poems can be read aloud to primary students.  For example, there is a poem titles Roy G. Biv, which covers the colors of the spectrum.  This poem would be a great to read aloud to kindergarten students. 

There are many uses to this poem collection.  There are also similar collections that teach English and American History.  These collections would make great use in any classroom.

"Red and orange and yellow.
Streaks of green and shades of blue
Indigo and violet, too."