Poetry: Color Me a Rhyme

Color Me a Rhyme
Jane Yolen
2000
Boyd Mills Press
24 pages

Reading Color Me a Rhyme gets you lost in a world of nature and color. It brings a different view of every day things. You are surrounded by nature every day but Jane Yolen shows it in a new light. It made me appreciate it in a new way.

The illustrations were photographs. I loved all of the colors. Although they were real, sometimes it did not seem like they were. There were cool and warm colors throughout. It really made you feel like you were emersed in nature.

Color Me a Rhyme  could be used for a science lesson. It could have to do with studying leaves and plants. It could also be used as an art lesson and they could color their own rhyme. It could also be a lesson about what they see when they look outside. This book does not have any awards.

Poetry: Where the Sidewalk Ends

Where the Sidewalk Ends
Shel Silverstien
Copyright 2004
Harper Collins
183 pages
Poetry

This collection contains many silly poems appropriate for all ages. I love that the first poem is titled Invitiation. It kind of sets the tone for the rest of the poetry. It is light and easy to read. I have always loved poetry and really enjoyed this particular collection! I would recommend it to anyone!

All of the illustrations are ink sketches. There is no color throughout the book, it is all black and white. There is also a lot of blank space on the pages. Sometimes there is only the short poem with a small illustration on the page. I love how the illustrations bring the poem to life.

This collection would be great motivation for children to write their own poetry. There poems such a Rain that could be used to teach a lesson on weather. There is also a poem Boa Constrictor that could be used to teach a lesson on reptiles! Another that would be a good lesson is called Invention. It could be read prior to a science lesson and the students could invent something of their own. This book does not have any awards.

Poetry: Dream

Dream
Susan V. Bosak
15 Top World Illustrators(Wayne Anderson, James Bennett, Christian Birmingham, Mike Carter, Raul Colon, Leo and Diane Dillon, Zhong-Yang Huang, Robert Ingpen, Steve Johnson, Lou Fancher, Michele Lemieux, Barbara Reid, Shaun Tan, Bruce Wood)
Copyright 2004
TCP Press
16 pages
Poetry

The poems are written in free verse which I really enjoyed. They are separate poems that depict a child growing up and how their dreams change. Their favorite colors change, thier goals change, and their hopes change. Throughout the book, there are quotes from famous speakers and poets such as Emily Dickenson and Martin Luther King Jr. It was a very inspirational group of poems!

I am absolutely obessed with the illustrations in this poetry book! There are so many different mediums used as there are fifteen different illustrators to the book. One that I cound particulary interesting was done out of clay. There are several that are multimedia as well. I also really enjoyed one that was a pencil sketching. The illustrations really bring a unique quality to the poems making them come to life in a way I have never seen before. I really enjoyed them!

This book of poems would be a great way to introduce free verse. It would also be a good way to have the students write their own free verse poetry and about their hopes and dreams that they have for when they get older. There are also many references to historical figures such as Albert Einstien and Charlie Chaplin. You could easily use this collection to teach a history lesson on any of these figures and the dreams they had to make them who we know them to be today.

Poetry: A Child's Treasury of Best Loved Poems

A Child's Treasury of Best Loved Poems
Many Authors
Teddy Edinjiklian and Ernie Eldredge
Copyright 2004
32 pages
Poetry

This collection is made up of many classic poems. There are some I am familiar with such as Mary had a Little Lamb and Three Little Kittens. There also were some that were new to me such as My Shadow and The Sugar Plum Tree. There are many poems that both young boys and girls woud enjoy. I even enjoyed them myself!

The illustrations vary from poem to poem. Sometimes the poem and pictures are separate. Other times the text is within the illustrations. The illustrations look to be done with pastels. The colors are a mixture of warm and cool. I love how the poems are brought to life and how much the ilustrations personify the characters in the poems.

There are so may classroom connections within this collection. One in particular called Good Night and Good Morning could be used to have a science lesson about what makes day and night happen. There are also many animal poems that could go along with a lesson about animals. You could also do a solar system lesson using Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. This book does not have any awards.

Fantasy: Angelina, Star of the Show

Angelina, Star of the Show
Katharine Holabird
Helen Craig
Copyright 2004
Pleasant Company Publications
Fantasy
13 pages

We meet Angelina as she is oing on a sailing trip with her grandparents. She is very excited to perform later in the night and wants to keep her costume on during the sailing trip. Her grandparents urge her to change to help out with the sailing but she would rather practice and keep her costume on. Angelina ends up spilling oil on her costume which ruins it. She also realizes that she has not been much help withthe sailing. She is so upset and does not know what to do about her costume. Will Angelina be ale to find a new costume in time for her performance? Read Katharine Holabird's Angelina, Star of the Show to find out!

The illustrations are done in what looks like ink sketches. The lines are done in such a way that you can see the texture of the fur on the mice. The color looks to be done with water colors. There is no empty space on the page. It looks like the text was printed right onto the illustrations.

You could use this book for a History lesson to discuss sailing. You could also do a lesson about art and introduce dance. You could also teach about character education and about what Angelina could have done differently to prevent the mess up of her costume. Also, there could be a math lesson where the students have to interpret a map covering all the places Angelina and her grandparents sailed. This book does not have any awards.

Fantasy: Olivia

Olivia
Author and Illustrator: Ian Falconer
Copyright 2000
Simon and Schuster
Fantasy
40 pages

We are introduced to Olivia and find that she is very active. She is good at wearing people out, even herself! We find out about what she does every day. We find out that she has a brother and lives with her mother and father. We also find out about what she does on sunny and rainy days.

The illustrations are mostly black and white. There is a pop of red on most pages. There is also a lot of empty space on most of the pages. The medium seems to be ink sketches. I love how the illustrations portray Olivia's energetic personality.

This book could be used as a writing lesson prompt. The students could write a story about themselves, their families, and what they like to do. You could also teach a lesson on weather and discuss sunny and rainy days. You could also teach a lesson on daily routines using this book. This book has a Caldecott Medal award.

Fantasy: Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type

Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type
Author: Doreen Cronin
Illustrator: Betsy Lewin
Simon and Shuster
Copyright 2000
Fantasy 
32 pages

Farmer Brown has a problem! On his farm Farmer Brown has some cows. They have found a type writer and have been writing him letters asking for favors. Farmer Brown won't hear any of it! After the cows and other barn yard go on strike because Farmer Brown won't meet their demands, he starts to rethink his decision. What does Farmer Brown do? Read Doreen Cronin's Click, Clack, Moo:Cows That Type to find out!

The medium used to create the illustrations looks to be water colors. Even the lines seem to be made with water colors. I loved how the illustrations gave the animals life like characteristics. There were warm and cool colors throughout the book. 

This story could be used as an introduction to a writing lesson. The teacher could read this book prior to talking about writing letters. It could also tie into a history lesson about type writers and who invented them since this may be a foreign thing to many young students. You could also have a lesson about farm animals and what happens on a farm.

Traditional: Jack and the Beanstalk

Jack and the Beanstalk
Retold and illustrated by Paul Galdone
Houghton Mifflin Company
Copyright 1974
Traditional Literature
15 pages

This story is about Jack. His mother gives him money to go and buy a goose. however, Jack buys what is supposed to be a magic bean. His mother is very displeased. Jack goes and plants the seed. The next morning, the bean has turned into a bean stalk so high that Jack cannot even see the top of it! He climbs the stalk all the way to the top to find a house. He knocks and a girl answers. She tells him that he must go because a giant lives there and he will surely eat him. What will happen to Jack? Read Paul Galdone's Jack and the Beanstalk to find out!

The illustrations look to be done in ink sketches. The lines are not continuous but broken up to show texture. The illustrations look to be colored with water colored paints. There is a mixture of warm and cool colors throughout the book.

This story could be used in a science lesson. The students could each receive a different kind of magic bean. They could grow it and research to try and figure out what their magic bean as grown to be. This book could also be used in a math lesson. They could do an activity where they have to measure the beanstalk. You could also use beans as a manipulative during a math lesson that has to do with the story.

Traditional: Red Riding Hood

Red Riding Hood
Retold and Illustrated by James Marshall
Puffin Books
Copyright 1987
Traditional Literature
15 pages

This story is about Little Red Riding Hood. Little Red Riding Hood has gone to take her grandmother her favorite treat because she is not feeling well. To do so, she must go through the dark woods. Along the way, she meets a wolf. She knows that she is not supposed to talk to strangers, but the wolf has such nice manners! Since the wolf is so well mannered, she invites him to join her. Little does she know, the wolf has a wicked plan all his own! What will happen to Little Red Riding Hood? Will she make it to her grandmother's house? Read James Marshall's Red Riding Hood to find out!

The illustrations are done in ink sketches. The lines are smooth and curved. The color of the illustrations is done in water-colored paints which are color-separated and reproduced in full color. The colors used are both warm and cool.

This book could be used as a math lesson on measuring and reading a map. You could have Little Red Riding Hood's house and her grandmother's house on a map. There could be a scale saying how many miles equals an inch and they could use a ruler to determine how many miles it takes for her to get to her grandmother's house. You could also use it as a math/science lesson on cooking. You could use measurements to make a dessert and maybe use the cafeteria kitchen to bake it. You could talk about the certain degrees you need to cook it and the transformation of the different ingredients to make a whole new dessert. This would also be a good book to read if you were discussing stranger danger and the students could make posters about stranger danger awareness with a Little Red Riding Hood theme.

Traditional Literature: Anansi the Spider

Anansi the Spider
Adapted and Illustrated by Gerald McDermott
Scolastic Inc.
Copyright 1972
Traditional Literature
20 pages

This story is about Anansi the spider. He has six sons. Each son has a special talent and a name to go along with the special talent. One day Anansi goes on a journey but becomes lost and falls into trouble! The six sons use their special talents to bring their father home. How will their father Anansi ever repay his sons for their help? Read the story to find out!

The illustrations in this story are made of arrangements of geometric shapes. The artwork in the story is pre separated into four colors. The type is Helvetica and the book is printed by offset. The colors used throughout the story are warm colors such as red and orange. It is very vibrant and the bold lines make the pictures pop off the page.

This story could be used across the curriculum as a science lesson on spiders. Also, it could be used as a math lesson. You could have a map set out that shows Anansi's journey and the students could use a ruler to measure the distance between each destination. This book could also be used as an art project where the students create their own spider using different geometric shapes and then they can make up a special talent for their spider and name it. This book was awarded a Caldecott Honor award.