And the award goes too...

Award Winning Books

Newbery Medal Award:

The One and Only Ivan- 2012 Winner- Fantasy

Applegate, K. (2012). The one and only Ivan. New York: Harper. 

Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living in an exhibit, instead of his natural habitat, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his exhibit. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all. Ivan is a very different kind of gorilla. Ivan thinks about TV shows he’s seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. Mostly, Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with color and a well-placed line.Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home, and his own art, through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it’s up to Ivan to make it a change for the better. Ivan no longer views his life with contentment. He wants to be able to show and express himself through art. 

Katherine Applegate blends humor and poignancy to create Ivan’s unforgettable first-person narration in a story of friendship, art, and hope. This book is terrific and it is clear why it is an award winner! I think this book would be best for intermediate grades. Important concepts like animal cruelty and treatment can be discussed while reading this book. 

Here are some potential activities! 

The Tale of Desperaux- 2004 Winner- Fantasy

DiCamillo, K., & Ering, T. (2003). The tale of Despereaux: Being the story of a mouse, a princess, some soup, and a spool of thread. Cambridge, Mass.: Candlewick Press.

In the faraway kingdom of Dor, four unlikely heroes emerge: Despereaux, Roscuro, Pea, and Mig. Tiny and graced with over sized ears, Despereaux was born too big for his little world. Refusing to live his life cowering, he befriends a Princess named Pea and learns to read, rather than eat, books submerging himself in stories of knights, dragons and fair maidens. Banished from his mouse world for being more man than mouse, Despereaux is rescued by another outcast, Roscuro, who also wants to hear the tales. When the Princess dismisses Roscuro's friendship, he becomes the ultimate rat and plots revenge with fellow outsider Mig. After Pea is kidnapped, Despereaux discovers he is the only one who can rescue her and that even the tiniest mouse can find the courage of a knight in shining armor. 

Although this book look overwhelming because of its size (short pages and big print=lots of pages), it would make the perfect read aloud. Also by Kate Dicamillo, this could be included in an author study with The One and Only Ivan. I do think would be used in younger grades than the other book. With tat said, maybe this book could be used in an author study, but children can read different books in book groups based on their reading level. 

Here are some potential activities! 

Caldecott Medal Award:

So You Want to Be President?- 2001 Winner- Picture Books and Nonfiction

George, J., & Small, D. (2000). So you want to be president? New York: Philomel Books.

Presidents have come in every variety. They've been generals, actors, big, small, handsome, and unfortunate looking. From the embarrassment of skinny-dipping, to the mischievous adventure of Theodore Roosevelt's pony, this book shares the fun and sometimes weird facts that have been part and played our in America's White House. This historically accurate book presents interesting facts about each of the presidency, except the current, in an entertaining way. The pictures act more as comics and it read like a fiction book. The book shows us the quirks of forty-one men who have risen to one of the most powerful positions in the world.

This book is hilariously illustrated by Caldecott honor-winning artist David Small. The illustrations are one of the best parts of the book! I think this book is great for use in most grades. It could be read in sections depending on the part of American history being studied, it can be used in research projects, or it can be read to explain the parts of the american government. There are endless uses for this book. It portrays the most powerful men in the country in a relate able fashion. 

Here are some potential activities! 

   

Owl Moon-1988 Winner- Picture Books

Yolen, J., & Schoenherr, J. (1987). Owl moon. New York: Philomel Books. 

On a cold winter's night a young girl and her father walk through the woods hoping to see a Great Horned Owl. The girl knows she must be quiet and patient if she hopes to see an owl, and that there's even a chance that no matter how quiet she is or how long she waits, she and her father might not see any owls at all. Then, after a long, cold search, the girl's patience is rewarded. 

This book is beautifully illustrated with watercolor paintings that provide a cold feel to the book. With that said, I was not a huge fan. I know this is popular book, but it is slow and anticlimactic in my opinion. I'm not sure that I would do anything with this book other than have it available in my classroom. 

Rapunzel- 1998 Winner - Fairy Tales and Picture Books

Zelinsky, P., & Beniker, A. (1997). Rapunzel. New York: Dutton Children's Books.

The story of Rapunzel centers on a couple who unable to have a child. After many years and a miracle, the couple finds out that they are expecting a child. As a side effect of the pregnancy the wife has a craving for Rapunzel. Rapunzel is an herb that grows in the walled garden of the witch next door.To satisfy his wife's craving, the husband steals Rapunzel from this garden, only to be caught in the act by the angry witch. In return for sparing his life, she demands that the husband promise her the newborn child. The witch takes the child once it is born and names her Rapunzel.There follows the well-known story of a long-haired girl kept in an inaccessible tower, and a prince who finds her and wins her heart.

What makes this story different from other re-tellings are the vivid illustrations. They act a capsule back in time and create a story focused m  on possessiveness, confinement, and separation, rather than about punishment. I prefer this retelling over the stereotyped fairy tale version. I think it is more relate able and exciting when there is struggle and despair. 

Here are some potential activities! 

Grand Father's Journey

Grandfather's Journey 

Say, A. (1993). Grandfather's journey. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Allen Say’s grandfather left Japan as a young boy. He took a steamship across the Pacific Ocean to the United States.Everything Grandfather saw was new to him. He saw fields and mountains. He saw many different people. But Grandfather liked California best. He loved the mountains and the sea.Grandfather went back to Japan and got married. He brought his wife to California. But Grandfather missed Japan. He kept songbirds to remind him of Japan.Grandfather took his family back to Japan. But now Grandfather missed California. He kept songbirds to remind him of California.Grandfather wanted to visit California again, but a war broke out. Grandfather went back to his old village. He was too sad to keep songbirds anymore. Grandfather never saw California again. 

Overall, I truly enjoyed this book and thought the content was important for students to read. The illustrations were my favorite part of the story, as the water color was beautifully done. This story artfully describes the struggles and anticipation involved with immigrating to a new place.

This story could obviously be put into a unit about immigration. It can also be put into a unit study for the particular war mentioned in the story. The illustrations, like most on the blog, allow for authentic writing opportunists. This could lead to a grand discussion on how immigration has affected students' families. This book should be read to intermediate or middle school aged students. The concepts in the book would best be understood by older students. 

Here are some potential activities! 

The Giving Tree

The Giving Tree

Silverstein, S., Silverstein, S., & Row, P. (1964). The giving tree. New York: Harper & Row.

The Giving Tree is a touching story about  about a relationship between a boy and a tree. When the boy is young he comes to the tree to play and eat apples and swing from its branches. As the boy grows older, he finds different uses for the tree, and sees the tree much less often. When the boy needs money, the tree tells the boy to sell her apples. When the boy needs a warm place to put his family, the tree tells the boy to use his branches to build a house. When the boy wants to just leave and go somewhere far away, the tree tells the boy to use its trunk and build a boat. Now the tree was just a small stump with nothing to offer, or so the tree thought. The boy was an old man now, and all he wanted was a place to rest. So in the end, the old man sits on the stump, and the tree was happy.

How could you not love this book? It pairs a sentimental story with important moral lessons. I am a HUGE fan of Shel Silverstein, so in my eyes he can do no wrong. This book is a must read for any age. 

This story should be paired with some wort of volunteer work. This book would be a great start to a service learning project. It can also be used a metaphor for the environment. It could be used to start teaching about environmental health. Most obvious, it can be used in a Shel Silverstein author study, as I am using it currently. The themes in this book are transcendent for all ages. I think this book could be useful for all grades. 

Here are some potential activities!  

Where the Wild Things Are

Where the Wild Things Are

Sendak, M. (1963). Where the wild things are. New York: Harper & Row.

Where The Wild Things Are tells the story of a boy named Max, who is making mischief throughout his house. After being sent to his room without dinner for chasing the dog around the house with a fork, Max escapes to an imaginary land. Max is seen throughout the book wearing a wolf suit, a king's crown, and a mischievous grin. His room transforms into a new world with creatures named the Wild Things, where he is soon made king. Max is in control of his life in the land of the Wild Things, but soon finds himself homesick and yearning to go back home to eat his mother's supper. He leaves the land of the Wild Things, even though the wild things beg him to stay and return home. At home he finds a hot plate of dinner waiting for him.

While I think the illustrations further the reader's understanding of the story, I'm not a fan of the muted colors used. I think the illustration are well done and convey sense of imagination and wonder, but I think the colors should be more vivid. With that said, I do love this story. It sends a message that a person's imagination is important, but in the end you must always come back to reality. 

This classic tale would be perfect for readers theater. It could also be used as a supplemental book in a unit based on the Bridge to Terabithia; both books focus on escaping to a imaginary world. With that said, I would use this book for visualization. Students would need to create their own world by illustrating and writing about it. Due to the book's content and  easy connections with other literature, I believe this book can be read through middle school. 

Some important themes to focus on!
Here are some potential activities! 

Perfect Squares

Perfect Squares

Hall, M. (2011). Perfect squares. Greenwillow Books.

This book is great and so creative! It starts with a perfect square and each illustration after shows the square transforming into something new. The square is changed into a fountain, garden, park, bridge, river, mountains, and a window. Each transformation is thanks to a different action: cut/poked, scrapped, stripped, shattered, ribbon-ed, and crumpled. The colors of the illustration reflect a change of each page. The final transformation does not change the shape at all, by just keeping it a square. 

The illustrations in this book remind me of an Eric Carle book. The colors and shapes used are very reminiscent of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. I think for this reason, the illustrations are easy to sequence. The illustrations do most of the story telling. I like the book for that reason! 

Any activity for this book can easily be associated with math! Students can make a square my measuring with a ruler and paper and subsequently follow the directions in the book to transform the square. This book could be a great introduction to a shape unit. It can also introduce a project in which students must find shapes in everyday life.  I think this book can be read to students through middle school. The concepts in the book could be expanded upon for older grades. 

Here is a link to some potential activities! 

Kitten's First Full Moon

Kitten's First Full Moon

Henkes, K. (2004). Kitten's first full moon. New York: Greenwillow Books. 

This award winning story is a comical tale of a kitten who thinks the moon is a bowl of milk. The kitten partakes in many antics in his attempts to drink from the "bowl of milk". He tries to jump to it, chases it, climb to it, and drinks from a reflection. Each attempt results in a failed attempt to drink the milk. When the kitten returns home after his failed attempts to get the milk her finds a bowl of milk on the porch. 

The illustrations in this book are phenomenal! Although they only utilize black, white, and shading they create a night time environment for the kitten. I think that having the pictures in black in white allow for more detail, by the reader, to be taken in at one time. The drawings are simple, but effective. 

Some meaningful activities with this book could involve the illustrations. For example, having children make facial expressions based on the kitten's actions denoted in the illustrations. There could also be dramatic play involved; the children act out the illustrations. This would also be a great book to do sequencing or cause effect activities with. A teacher may also do a lesson on the phases of the moon. Due to the simplicity of the words and illustrations, this book should only be used with primary grades. 

Here is a link to some potential activities. 

Baby Loves

Baby Loves

Lach, W., & Cassatt, M. (2002). Baby loves. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art 

This story is mostly plot-less and depends entirely on the illustrations to tell the story. The story has simple statements based on the actions of babies: sits, stands, looks, hands, washes, dries, feeds, reads,claps, naps, thinks, drinks, cuddles, hugs, kisses, loves. All of the illustrations are paintings by Mary Cassatt from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The painting are from the late 1800's and early 1900's. All of the paintings are portraits of a baby and his or her mother.

                                                                                       

This book can be used for a variety of activities. It can be used when teaching about art in this specific time period. It can also be used as a writing prompt; students can be instructed to write a story about on particular portrait. It can also be used in the primary grades as a simple read. This book was quite lovely. The portraits are very beautiful and assist an appreciation for art. 

Here are some potential activities!