Skippyjon Jones

Skippyjon Jones

by Judy Schachner

Dutton Juvenile, 2003

Summary: Skippyjon Jones is a Siamese Kitten whose creative imagination is always leading him to exciting places and landing him in hot water.  In this story, he imagines he is the great chihuahua sword fighter El Skippito.  He joins a band of chihuahuas  and defeats the Bumblebeeto Bandito. 

Lesson:  I love to talk to kids about using their imagination.  Part of this lesson was to extend last week's lesson about Animals and the Dewey Decimal System.  Another part was to have them use context clues.  Based on the text and pictures, I asked them what they thought the truth was behind the Bumblebeeto Bandito's existence.  Some said a real bee was in the closet, some said a picture of a bee.  A few noticed the candy and guessed pinata. 

Level:  Pre-K - 3rd

Officer Buckle and Gloria

Officer Buckle and Gloria 

by Peggy Rathmann

Penguin, 1995, Caldecott 

Summary:  Officer Buckle's job is to give safety speeches to school staff and students.  No one really listens to him until he buddies up with a dog named Gloria.  What Officer Buckle doesn't know in the narrative text, but is visual in the pictures, is that Gloria is acting out the scenarios, capturing the audience's attention.  But when he finds out, can he handle being upstaged by his partner?

Lesson:  I use this book to talk about the powers of observation.  If you do not see the pictures, then the story doesn't make sense.   We also discuss the safety tips in the book.  Another topic is the power of teamwork. 

Level: PreK-2nd

McDuff's Christmas

McDuff's Christmas 

by Rosemary Wells , Susan Jeffers (Illustrator) 

Hyperion, 2005

Summary:  McDuff and his family are waiting for Christmas to come, despite the tremendous snowfall outside.  When McDuff hears something outside, he wakes up his owners to go out into the cold.

Lesson:  This was a great book to talk about snow.  The types of clothing, the necessity of shoveling, the problems with holes in your shoes.  Being in the South, our children rarely see more than an inch once every few years.  They were very amazed at all the trouble it caused for McDuff and his family.  After I read this book, I couldn't keep McDuff books on the shelf. 

Level:  1st-3rd

City Dog, Country Frog

City Dog, Country Frog 

by Mo Willems , Jon J. Muth (Illustrator) 

Hyperion, 2010

Summary:  Told in soft water colors, the City Dog visits the country and befriends the County Frog.  As the seasons pass, they play froggie and doggie games, until one disappears forever. It's use of parallel structure with each season makes it easy for younger readers to follow. 

Lesson:  I read this book as part of a book talk promoting new books in the library and the students loved it.  Several purposes jump to mind for its use in the library or classroom.  One is the seasonal changes that occur.  A second is the comparison with the original city mouse/country mouse tale.  Another is a biology lesson about animals and seasons/weather.  And a fourth is one about death being part of the cycle of life, and moving forward after it strikes a loved one.  Finally, that death is actually left up for interpretation, and so asking students what happened to the missing animal is a good discussion on reading between the lines. 

Level:  Kinder--3rd

OFF THE SHELF -- Where the Red Fern Grows

Where the Red Fern Grows

by Wilson Rawls

Curtis Publishing, 1961

Throughout the year, several boys came to me looking for dog books.  They were aware of Sounder and Old Yeller, but not Where the Red Fern Grows.  I remember crying harder at this book than any I have ever cried through (but of course, I didn't tell the guys that).  I then noticed it was being checked out by word of mouth. It is the story of the bond that form between a boy and his two hunting dogs. So consider reading it, or re-reading it. 

Level:  4th - 12th

How Rocket Learned to Read

How Rocket Learned to Read

by Tad Hills

Random House, 2010

Summary:  In this delightful tale, Rocket is taught to read by his teacher, a yellow bird.  When she flies south for the winter, Rocket continues to practice his reading skills during his vacation. 

Lesson:  This was the last story I read to the Kinder and 1st graders before summer vacation.  They enjoyed sounding out the words with Rocket, showing that they too had learned to read.  At the end, we talked about practicing their reading during their vacation. 

Level:  Pre-K - 2nd