And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon

And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon 

by Janet Stevens , Susan Stevens Crummel

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2001

Summary:  After the Dish and Spoon run away together, the cat, cow, and dog of said nursery rhyme set out on a quest to find them.  Along the way, they visit haunts from other nursery rhymes, such as Humpty's Wall, Jack's  Beanstalk, and the Big Bad Wolf's home in the deep, dark forest.  Armed with a map and hilarious puns and idioms, the trio race against time to save the ending of their verse.

Lesson:  I have used this for various lessons.  Today, I used it with the lower elementary grades as a review of their map reading skills.  In the past, I have used it as a support of the kindergarten teachers during their nursery rhymes unit.  It could also be used to teach idioms and puns. 

Level:  K - 3rd

OFF THE SHELF: Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon

Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon

by  Catherine Thimmesh

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2006 Sibert Medal

This weekend, I accompanied a cub scout camp out at NASA.  The boys had so many questions about space, space flight, and the various missions.  I found myself recommending this book to them and their parents over and over again.  The book chronicles the Apollo 11 mission to the moon by showing all the work that went into building the rocket, capsule and limb; into the planning and training for the mission.  The book has authentic photographs and quotes from players at all stages.  The power of teamwork in achieving a goal is just important a theme of this book as learning about space flight.  A great book for kids and adults alike to learn more about what is involved in traveling to the moon. 

Level:  3rd and up

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

OFF THE SHELF -- Game Day

Game Day
by Tiki Barber , Ronde Barber , Barry Root (Illustrator)

Simon & Schuster, 2005

My recommendation today was to a mother of two boys (a year apart) who were athletically-minded.  I suggested the books written by Tiki and Ronde Barber, which reminisce their childhood playing football together as twins. The dynamics of good sportsmanship and family unity are stressed. There are multiple stories, which are available in picture book and chapter book format.