And the winner is...

Chris Van Allsburg

As I racked my brain to try and figure out which author I wanted to spend large amounts of time learning about, Van Allsburg kept coming to mind. He has written such wonderful titles as The Polar Express and Jumanji, but did you know that he's written 16 books altogether? I didn't know that either, but now each of his works (well, some are on hold at the library) are sitting in my living room, waiting to be read.

I can't wait to delve into his world and learn all there is to know about this literary genius.

Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery

Freedman, R. (1993). Eleanor Roosevelt: A life of discovery. New York, NY: Clarion Books.

Read on June 3, 2012. A 1994 Newbery Honor book.

Eleanor Roosevelt always thought of herself as an “ugly duckling.” When her husband won the presidential election in 1932, she was actually disappointed because the role of First Lady was not one that she had always dreamed of having. She enjoyed her life as a teacher, writer, and independent woman. This book describes the life and times of Eleanor, including the time she married her cousin (fifth cousin), and how she was afraid of water so took swimming lessons at the YWCA. 

This biography would be great for students who are not in the popular crowd because it can show them that they can still make a difference in life. The best way to get readers to respond would be to have them integrate this book with a content area (Wigfield and Guthrie).

Henry's Freedom Box

Levine, E. (2007). Henry’s freedom box: A true story of the underground railroad. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.

Read on June 10, 2012. A 2008 Caldecott Honor book.

When you are a slave, I'm sure there's only so much that you can take before you decide that enough is enough. For Henry, it wasn't the fact that he didn't have a birthday or even that he was forced to work for the horrible son of his former owner. For Henry, the breaking point was hearing about the auction of his wife and children while he was working. This desperate man decided that he would rather risk his life while trying to escape than to live without his family. So Henry mails himself to a state where slavery had been outlawed. Not only did he gain his own freedom, but he also helped many other slaves escape the cruel life of slavery. Along with his freedom, Henry also gained another very important thing--a birthday. His birthday coincided with the date he reached his final destination, March 30, 1849 was a day that Henry would remember forever.

This biography has some of the best illustrations I have seen in a picture book. The attention to detail make this book appear lifelike. So real, in fact that if Henry were still alive, I think I'd be able to easily recognize him. Students also enjoy the realism presented through the illustrations.

I use this book in my classroom every year and each time, I try to find a new way to model a reading strategy. For example, I have students make predictions using the title only, they can think about what they already know about the Underground Railroad, while reading they can make connections to hard times they've had, and they can problem solve (Mosaic of Thought). Some students have difficulty understanding why Henry didn't just hit his slave master since he didn't like him, which often leads to a discussion of what life was like for a slave. The teacher could do an extension activity with other books that show what life for a slave was like.

An American Plague

An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793

Murphy, J. (2003). An American plague: The true and terrifying story of the yellow fever epidemic. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Read on June 8, 2012. Among its many awards, this book was a Newbery Honor book in 2004.

It was 1973 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania when the first person died of a mysterious cause. Within the next 7 days, 8 people got a fever and became deathly ill. What was this fever doing to the townspeople of Philadelphia? Where was the fever coming from? How did you get rid of it once you had it? The answers for these questions did not come quickly or easily, if at all. Because of that, up to 100 people died in any given week, all throughout the disease's fierce rule of Philadelphia. The Philadelphians started with cleaning up the waste of trash and dead animals. This seemed to help some, but things were still dire. Many doctors tried different remedies like herbal supplements, drinking poison to induce vomiting and diarrhea, and bloodletting. While there is still no cure for yellow fever, doctors did figure out a way to spot the disease in its early stages.

This book, being highly informational, would be beneficial to have in either a guided reading group (Fountas and Pinnell), read aloud (Trelease), or as an active, shared reading experience (Fish). Teachers could guide the class to a deeper understanding by performing think alouds, sharing thoughts with a peer, writing about their reading, or doing additional research in relation to a content area. Since this epidemic is related to the Black Plague, students could note similarities between the two. Although it's disgusting, students could also make their learning more concrete by using the information from the book to draw what victims looked like throughout the various stages of the disease. Another option would be to have students make brochures for the citizens about how to avoid getting yellow fever and what to do when you realize you are getting it.

So You Want to be President?

St. George, J. So you want to be president? New York, NY: Philomel Books.

Read on June 4, 2012. A 2001 Caldecott Award winner.

What do you know about presidents and their demands while in office? What do you know about what it takes to be a president?  Whatever you know, prepare to be challenged while reading this book. While reading, I was astonished to learn some things about the men that America chose to lead this great country. For example, Andrew Jackson started, and participated in, several brawls before he was elected. Calvin Coolidge had a pet raccoon and every single president has at least one sibling. If that wasn't enough, the author included a list of additional facts in the back of the book.

Along with the entertaining facts, the illustrator (David Small) had a sense of humor when using pop art to make our former presidents look like caricature drawings. Presidential body parts were exaggerated, which made me laugh before I even started reading. There's a hilarious picture of Howard Taft being lifted by a crane into a bath tub that he had specially made. He just looked so happy and pleased with himself for having to have a bathtub specially built for his 300 pound body.

While reading this book, I thought of the fifth graders across the hall from me. They would love learning about US history if it were presented in this manner. I would bet that students wouldn't even realize that they are learning because this book is that exciting (Wigfield and Guthrie). Another way to encourage reader response would be to have students make a list of some of the things they might require if they ever became president (Fish).

Hush! A Thai Lullaby

Ho, M. (1996). Hush! A Thai lullaby. New York, NY: Orchard Books.

Read on June7, 2012.  A 1997 Caldecott Honor award book.

Being a new mom myself, I value peace and quiet while my baby girl is sleeping. This is not just an American thing, either. The mother in this book is desperate to have the creatures around her "Hush!" while her baby is trying to sleep. She goes to all the animals that are making even the tiniest of noises in an effort to help her baby get a little bit more sleep. Once everyone and everything is finally quiet and asleep, including the mom, the only person awake is the baby.


The illustrations in this book are similar to that of Lon Po Po in that the art is flat and primitive, indicative of folk art and stories. The drawings are bright and take on a different look than those animals that we are used to in the United States.

The author of this book allowed some mystery before what animal is making the noise that could wake up the baby. Students can use their prior knowledge of animal noises to infer what animal is making the noise on the next page (Mosaic of Thought). Doing so really relies on a student’s knowledge of animals. For example, if a student knows what a sty is and that pigs live there, they will be able to infer that the animal sniffling in the sty is a pig. I believe that poetry leads itself to active reading as well (Fish), especially since this book has animal noises.

Out of the Dust

Hesse, K. (1997). Out of the dust. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.

Read on June 5, 2012. A 1998 Newbery Award winning story told through poetry.

“As summer wheat came ripe, so did I, 

born at home, 

on the kitchen floor. 

Ma crouched, barefoot, bare bottomed

 over the swept floors because that’s where

 Daddy said it’d be best.”  (Hesse, pg. 1)

Never, in a million years, did I think I'd LOVE a book of poetry as much as I love Out of the Dust. I will most definitely buy this book for my own personal enjoyment.

This book is takes place in the 1930’s, in a part of the country where they grew wheat for their main source of income. Billie Joe is the girl telling the story through her poetry, which is in the form of a diary of sorts. The main character, however, seems to be the dust. It pervades her every day life from the pepper at dinner being nothing but dust to taking a test covered in the stuff. The book follows Billie Joe through 2 years, broken up by the 4 seasons. She talks about the mundane life of state tests to her love of piano. When her mom finds out she’s expecting again, Billie Joe writes with hope. Hope that this baby will live when the others have not. But, when a fire burns Ma and Billie Joe, her writing turns to pain. She feels bad for inadvertently hurting her ma and she’s mad at her dad for going off drinking. When her baby brother is born, not only does she discover that the apple tree didn’t make the highly anticipated apples, but she finds out that her mother passed away. As she grows to accept what happened, her writing goes back to that of a hopeful girl, although she'll never be the same as she was before the fire.

This book brings new meaning to poetry. Never have I read a poem that drew me in so completely. Using this book would be a great way to get students interested in the art of poetry. They can learn that not all poems are boring and fraught with hidden meaning and forced rhymes. I believe that this book could get them excited to read a poem, especially if the teacher can provide a good tease to entice students (McKenna and Kear). This book would be a good alternative to the poems that are located in so many basal books and reading passages. Students can use all of their strategies while reading (Mosaic). They can ask questions and predict what will happen next based on the title of the poem. I’m sure some students could even make thoughtful connections to what Billie Joe is going through in this story (Chambers).