1000 Paper Cranes

Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

Loske, J. (1977). Sadako's cranes. Hong Kong: Minedition.

Sadako Sasaki was a Japanese girl living in Hiroshima when the atomic bomb was dropped on Japan. In 1955, at age 11, Sadako was diagnosed with leukemia, a type of cancer caused by the atomic bomb. While in the hospital, Sadako started to fold paper cranes. In Japan, there is a belief that if you folded 1000 paper cranes, then your wish would come true. Sadako spend 14 months in the hospital, folding paper cranes with whatever paper she could get. Paper was scarce so she used the paper from medicine bottles, candy wrappers, and left over gift wrap paper. Her wish was that she would get well again, and to attain peace & healing to the victims of the world. Sadako died on October 25, 1955, she was 12 years old and had folded over 1300 paper cranes. Sadako’s friends and classmates raised money to build a memorial in honor of Sadako and other atomic bomb victims.

I loved this story! It was so poetic in its writing style and conveyed a real sense of hope in the mist of despair. The illustrations do not extend the story by any means. The drawings are black and white and hard to make out. I preferred the writing. 

This should be read during a study of WWII to convey the disparity that  the war caused. I would only read this with middle school students. The message and events could be disturbing to less mature audiences. The reading level is quite easy though.  

Once Around the Sun

Once Around the Sun

Katz, B., & Pham, L. (2006). Once around the sun. Orlando: Harcourt.


This is a collection of poems that celebrates the seasons with one poem for every month of the year. The poems all encapsulate the feelings, sights, sounds, and smells of each month. It is artfully written with figurative language.

The book is Beautifully illustrated by LeUyen Pham. For this reason and the inferred meanings in the figurative language I would say this book can be used in all grades. It would be a fun read aloud in younger grades and a good example for poetry in older grades.

Weird But True: 300 Outrageous Facts

Weird But True: 300 Outrageous Facts

Weird but true: 300 outrageous facts. (2010). Washington, D.C.: National Geographic. 

Weird But True is based on the popular portion of National Geographic's kid's magazine. This book is a collection of the most popular outrageous facts. The book has facts about anywhere from animals, food, and people to bugs and household objects. The facts bare combines with bright and colorful pictures to illustrate the craziness of the facts.   

I would use this book as a free read, attention grabber, or prompt. As a prompt, I would have children find a fact that catches their interest and research that topic. For example, if the fact is that oldest goldfish to ever live was 43 years old, the student could research goldfish. This would just be a good addition to the classroom library as a free reading book.  

The Magic School Bus

The Magic School Bus: Inside a Beehive

Cole, J., & Degen, B. (1996). The magic school bus: Inside a beehive. New York: Scholastic.

When Tim delivers the last of the season's honey to his grandfather's customers, the jars get broken. Tim's beekeeper Grandfather has the sweetest honey in town. Tim's solution is simple. They must get more honey from some bees. As per usual, Ms. Frizzle turns her class into bees so they can visit a hive and learn how raw honey is processed firsthand.But Ms. Frizzle sweetens the idea by turning her class into bees and showing them a beehive up close and personal. During the field trip, the students learn how and where honey comes from and how much work is involved getting the sweet treat. Once again, the students find themselves in a sticky situation and must find a way to get the honey for Tim's grandfather.


Although this may not be the nonfiction we always think of, I consider this non fiction because the information being presented. The information is factual, therefore I would classify this series as narrative nonfiction because the factual information is presented in story format.  

I love the Magic School Bus series! The books and T.V series provide valuable lessons that engage the children. I would obviously use this in a unit or lesson about plants or bees. The illustrations in the book provide a good model for how honey is created and extracted. My first grade classroom last semester did a unit on bees. The students read this book, researched bees, and met a bee keeper. With this book in mind, I would like to do something similar. 

Here are some potential activities! 

Pompeii Buried Alive

Pompeii Buried Alive

Kunhardt, E., & Eagle, M. (1987). Pompeii--buried alive! New York: Random House.

This short, leveled reader gives an accurate account of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, describes village life 2,000 years ago, the eruption itself and its aftermath, and the excitement when the buried town is rediscovered centuries later. Although not long, the detailed illustrations, captions,and body paragraphs give appropriate, detailed information about the natural disaster. 

I read this book with a third grade student who particularly likes non fiction books. She read this book for pleasure, but I would also use this book for a history lesson and/or a comprehension activity. Because it is a leveled reader, I could provide different groups (organized by reading levels) with books about the same topic. This way they are all getting the same information, just at different levels. It also presents a great opportunity to discuss literal comprehension questions, as well as, higher levels of comprehension. This could include inferential and creative.   

Here are some helpful facts about Pompeii!

Something Beautiful

Something Beautiful 

Wyeth, S. (1998). Something beautiful. New York: Doubleday Books for Young Readers. 

This is a story about a young African American girl who initially sees only the ugliness in her neighborhood. The narrator looks though her window and sees ugly. She sees trash in the courtyard, a broken bottle, writing in the halls, and "DIE" on her door. Walking around the town she sees more ugly. She sees a lady who lives in a cardboard box, a dark ally that mom tells her never to stop at and a garden with no flowers. She wants to find something beautiful in this ugly world so she asks her friends what they find and they name things that make them happy. When she goes home, she sees all the ugly again and decides that she is going to make it beautiful.After pointing out the various “ugly” aspects of her neighborhood, she seeks to find “something beautiful”.  The young girl wants to find her own “something beautiful”. The story focuses on the effects of social inequality and poverty. 

This story has many important implications. Not only is it a terrific read aloud oppertunity. It also presents opportunities to study illustrations for more detail. The illustrations provide a realistic feel to the heavy issues presented. I would read this book with a focus on philanthropy and what it means to be a philanthropist. This would need to be done with an older grade, maybe 3rd-5th. I would conduct a grand discussion and discuss with the children what she did to make her community a better house. I would have the students talk about what it beautiful in their life and lead them away from aesthetic answers. I would pair this book with a short service learning project in which the students conduct volunteer work. I would want to focus on the beauty in the world that is not associated with appearances.    

Here are some potential activities! 

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Kinney, J. (2007). Diary of a wimpy kid: Greg Heffley's journal. New York: Amulet Books.

Greg is one of three children. According to Greg, his little brother, Manny, never gets in trouble, even if he really deserves it, and his older brother Rodrick is always getting the best of Greg. Greg receives a journal from his mother to document his life. It is important to note this a journal and not a diary. In his journal, Greg details his daily activities, starting with the first day of middle school. Greg does not like middle school because he feels that he is awkward and small.Whether it's dealing with bullying, his friend Rowley, homework, or family life, Greg is always busy trying to figure out the angle that will make things come out best for him. Greg writes and illustrates the problems he faces as young middle school students. This is the first in the popular series.  

This book is great and so easy to relate to! I was reading it and could really imagine my own middle school experiences. I think this would be a great whole class read for 5th or 6th graders. They could easily relate to Greg's feelings and situations. While reading this book, I would have students keep their own journal to reflect on the book, but also their everyday lives. This book demonstrates a lot of themes including loss of innocence, respect, and the importance of family.