The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

Summary: 

Every day the boy would come to the tree to eat her apples, swing from her branches, or slide down her trunk...and the tree was happy. But as the boy grew older he began to want more from the tree, and the tree gave and gave and gave.

Activities: 

The boy in the story gathers the tree's leaves from the ground. Use a die cutting machine to create different colored leaves in shades of green, red, yellow, and brown. Place them in a brown paper bag and ask the child to pick out a handful of the leaves. Ask him to count the number of leaves he pulls out of the bag. For an older child, have him sort the leaves my color and then represent the results using a bar or line graph. If you live in an area where fall leaves are plentiful, you need not make your own leaves, you can simply gather them from the ground.


The main lesson of "The Giving Tree" involves giving back to those you love. Ask the child to chose one person in the community to whom he can give something back. The child can choose any person or organization that has done something for either her or her family. An example might include a physician who helped her when she was sick. Have the child create a project to give back to that person to thank him for his community contribution. You might suggest a personalized gift or thank you letter created by the child.

About the Author: 

So begins Shel Silverstein's very first children's book, Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back. It's funny and sad and has made readers laugh and think since it was published in 1963. It was followed the next year by three more books. The first of them, The Giving Tree, is a moving story about the love of a tree for a boy. Shel returned to humor the same year with A Giraffe and a Half, delighting readers with a most riotous ending. The third book in 1964 was Uncle Shelby's Zoo Don't Bump the Glump! and Other Fantasies, Shel's first poetry collection, and his first and only book illustrated in full color. 

Citation: 

Silverstein, S. (2004). The giving tree. (40th anniversary ed. ed.). New York , New york: Harper Collins.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Summary: 
One sunny Sunday, when the caterpillar was hatched out of a tiny egg. He was very hungry. On Monday, he ate through one apple; on Tuesday, he ate through three plums--and still he was hungry. Strikingly bold, colorful pictures and a simple text in large, clear type tell the story of a hungry little caterpillar's progress through an amazing variety and quantity of foods. Full at last, he made a cocoon around himself and went to sleep, to wake up a few weeks later wonderfully transformed into a butterfly!

Activities: 

The Life Cycle of the Butterfly: The story starts out with a little egg on a leaf then follows the caterpillar as it eats and grows, enters a cocoon (most caterpillars enter a chrysalis, but Eric Carle used the word “cocoon” as that’s what his father called it when he was a child) and emerges as a colorful butterfly.


The Very Hungry Caterpillar has illustrations that were originally done in painted tissue paper collage. This specific technique is appropriate for grade 3 and up, but can be adapted for younger children. Try making butterflies with your student using this technique. Have a shape of a butterfly drawn on cardstock for each child. Have the students use strips of colored tissue paper and glue to make the colorful wings. You might want to use this opportunity to teach your students about symmetry and how each wing is a mirror image of the other.



About the Author: 
Eric Carle is acclaimed and beloved as the creator of brilliantly illustrated and innovatively designed picture books for young children. Eric was born in Syracuse, New York, in 1929, and moved with his parents to Germany when he was six years old. After graduating from art school, he returned to America, the land of his happiest childhood memories, and found work as a graphic designer.

Citation: 
Carle, E. (1986). The very hungry caterpillar. New York, NY: Putnam Juvenile.

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Summary: 
Max is sent to bed without supper and imagines sailing away to the land of Wild Things,where he is made king.

Genre: Fantasy

About the Author: 
For more than forty years, the books Maurice Sendak has written and illustrated have nurtured children and adults alike and have challenged established ideas about what children's literature is and should be. The New York Times has recognized that Sendak's work "has brought a new dimension to the American children's book and has helped to change how people visualize childhood." Parenting recently described Sendak as "indisputably, the most revolutionary force in children's books."

Activities: 
Instruct students to make a list of the “mischief” Max did at the beginning of the book. Then encourage them to write an apology letter from Max to his mother. Select several students to read their notes aloud, and ask which one the class thinks would be most likely to satisfy Max’s mother. (Respect)

Put on some music and let students pretend to be one of the monsters in the book as they dance to the music. One student at a time can act like Max, King of the Wild Things, but this role should change periodically so that several students get a chance to play the part.


Personal Response: 
This was my favorite childhood book. I love the illustrations and story line.

Citation: 
Sendak, M. (1963). Where the wild things are. New York: HarperCollins Children's Books.

Everyone Matters: A First Look at Respect for Others by Pat Thomas

Summary: 
Children learn that having respect means treating everyone fairly. But there are some types of respect that each person must earn for themselves--by keeping promises, by being honest in what they say and do, and being polite and respectful to others. Most important of all, boys and girls learn that people who are different deserve just as much respect as close friends. This new title in Barron's growing series of A First Look at . . . books is written especially for preschool and early-grades children. Books in this series feature sensitively written stories that encourage boys and girls to explore their feelings, face new challenges in their lives, and talk to trusted elders about how to deal with things that bother them. The books feature child-friendly color illustrations on every page. An advice to parents section appears at the end of each book.

Activities:

Designate a special "Respect Week" and have students give sincere compliments to their classmates. Encourage them to keep a weekly journal of their behavior. The journal entries should include who they complimented, what they said, and the person's reaction to their compliment.


Talk about why respect is important. Ask students to answer questions like how do they show their classmates respect? How can they respect their teacher? How can they show their parents respect?



About the Author: 
Pat is a trained psychotherapist, naturopath and journalist. After working as a journalist and broadcaster in the USA, she now works in the field of child development and writes for various publications including 'Practical Parenting'.

Personal Response: 
I think this book is good for younger children. Respect is something important for all young children to learn, especially in a classroom setting.

Citation: 
Thomas, P., & Harker, L. (2010). Everyone matters, a first look at respect for others. Lafayette, LA:   Barrons Juveniles.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Summary: 

Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear of pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the community. When Jonas turns 12 he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now, it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back.

Genre: Science Fiction

The fantasy is believable. All the writing is rich and structured and it has a meaningful theme. 

Activities:

Imagine that you could create a perfect world. How would it be different from the world you live in right now? How would it be the same? Give your community a name, a system of government,and a physical description. Imagine yourself living there and describe what an ordinary day would be like. Obtain some poster board and make a pictoral representation of your world.

Begin compiling a list of rules which govern the community in which Jonas lives. You will add to this list as you read The Giver.

About the Author:

Lois Lowry is known for her versatility and invention as a writer. She was born in Hawaii and grew up in New York, Pennsylvania, and Japan. After several years at Brown University, she turned to her family and to writing. She is the author of more than thirty books for young adults, including the popular Anastasia Krupnik series. 

Personal Response: 

Lois Lowry is one of my favorite children's author. The Giver is a great story about a distopia that children can understand. 

Citation: 

Lowry, L. (1993). The giver. New York: Dell Laurel-Leaf.

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

Summary: 

As the German troops begin their campaign to “relocate” all the Jews of Denmark, Annemarie Johansen’s family takes in Annemarie’s best friend, Ellen Rosen, and conceals her as part of the family.Through the eyes of ten-year-old Annemarie, we watch as the Danish Resistance smuggles almost the entire Jewish population of Denmark, nearly seven thousand people, across the sea to Sweden. The heroism of an entire nation reminds us that there was pride and human decency in the world even during a time of terror and war.

Genre: Historical Fiction
All information is accurate and does not condone the Holocaust. All characters are well developed and the plot is based on authentic facts.

Activities: 

Fact or Fiction?
After reading Number the Stars, have students research factual accounts of the German Occupation in Denmark. Students may use encyclopedias, a history books, the Internet, or the library as resources. Ask students to write a paper comparing their factual research to the Number the Stars book. For deeper thinking, have students discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each type of fiction and non-fiction writing.


Class Debate
After reading Number the Stars, class debates whether the country of Sweden should have stayed neutral during World War II. Teacher moderates discussion as students share their thoughts on whether it was best that Sweden remained neutral, or if Sweden should have opposed the German Occupation and actively joined in the resistance movement. Debate concludes with students writing a brief paper with their vote and supporting points.



About the Author: 
Lois Lowry is known for her versatility and invention as a writer. She was born in Hawaii and grew up in New York, Pennsylvania, and Japan. After several years at Brown University, she turned to her family and to writing. She is the author of more than thirty books for young adults, including the popular Anastasia Krupnik series.

Personal Response: 
I am a big fan of this book. I felt that it was historically accurate while having a good fictional story line. 

Citation: 
Lowry, L. (2011). Number the stars. New York: Sandpiper.

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

Summary: 
Discovered in the attic in which she spent the last years of her life, Anne Frank's remarkable diary has since become a world classic -- a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and an eloquent testament to the human spirit. In 1942, with Nazis occupying Holland, a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl and her family fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. For the next two years, until their whereabouts were betrayed to the Gestapo, they and another family lived cloistered in the "Secret Annex" of an old office building. Cut off from the outside world, they faced hunger, boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters, and the ever-present threat of discovery and death. In her diary Anne Frank recorded vivid impressions of her experiences during this period. By turns thoughtful, moving, and amusing, her account offers a fascinating commentary on human courage and frailty and a compelling self-portrait of a sensitive and spirited young woman whose promise was tragically cut short.

Genre: Memoir
The story is all grounded in facts. The author is well developed and there is a unifying theme.


Activities: 
Create your own diary and record the daily events of your life.

Create a timeline of the Jewish restrictions and regulations of the Third Reich.

Discussion Questions: 

It was dangerous to be a Jew during Hitler's Third Reich. What were some of the dangers Jews faced? How did Hitler limit the freedom of the Jewish population?
Discuss how Otto Frank quietly prepared for the worse and made arrangements to ensure the safety of his family.
What finally prompted Otto Frank to take the family into hiding?
The Frank family, along with another family and a dentist, hid for over two years. Discuss the problems the inhabitants of the "secret annex" faced during their hiding.
Anne Frank revised her diary. Why did she do this?

About the Author: 
Annelies "Anne" Marie Frank was one of the most discussed Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Her diary has been the basis for several plays and film

Personal Response: 
I believe every single student should read this diary at some point in their life. Anne Frank is insightful and way past her years in a time where the world was a very dark place.

Citation: 
Frank, A. (1993). Anne frank, the diary of a young girl. (Expanded ed. ed.). New York: Bantam.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Summary: 

In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry, an orphan, lives with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son, Dudley. One day just before his eleventh birthday, an owl tries to deliver a mysterious letter—the first of a sequence of events that end in Harry meeting a giant man named Hagrid. Hagrid explains Harry's history to him: When he was a baby, the Dark wizard, Lord Voldemort, attacked and killed his parents in an attempt to kill Harry; but the only mark on Harry was a mysterious lightning-bolt scar on his forehead.Now he has been invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Genre: Fantasy
Harry Potter consists of many details that make it believable in the context of the story. Harry Potter consists of many different themes such as humility, fitting in and discrimination. The story events are imaginative  but in the context of the story, they are believable.


Activities: 

Make-Your-Own Trading Cards
Making trading cards is a great way to have your class practice recalling facts and details, summarizing, establishing sequential order, and presenting work orally. Ask your students to draw pictures of characters, scenes, or events from one of the Harry Potter texts on index cards. On the back of the cards, the children record who, when, where, how, and why details. Encourage them to share their cards in small groups by reading aloud, asking questions, and trading cards.


House Cup Awards
Motivate students in academics and behavior by initiating a "house cup" as Hogwarts School did with Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Divide the class into four groups and let each decide on a house name. Invite them to design a crest to symbolize their house. Set aside bulletin board or wall space to display the crests. Award points for academic achievement and positive behavior and post them next to the crests. Periodically, award the "House Cup" (a paper trophy) to the group with the most points.



About the Author: 
J.K. Rowling was a struggling single mother when she wrote the beginning of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, on scraps of paper at a local cafe. But her efforts soon paid off, as she received an unprecedented award from the Scottish Arts Council enabling her to finish the book. Since then, the debut novel has become an international phenomenon, garnering rave reviews and major awards, including the British Book Awards Chidren's Book of the Year and the Smarties Prize.

Personal Response: 
I am a huge fan of the Harry Potter books. The Harry Potter books are what got me interested in reading.

Citation: 
Rowling, J. K. (1998). Harry potter and the sorcerer's stone. (1st ed.). New York: Arthur A. Levine Books.

Anansi the Spider: A Tale from the Ashanti by Gerald McDermott

Summary: 

In this traditional Ashanti tale, Anansi sets out on a long, difficult journey. Threatened by Fish and Falcon, he is saved from terrible fates by his sons. But which of his sons should Anansi reward? Calling upon Nyame, the God of All Things, Anansi solves his predicament in a touching and highly resourceful fashion.In adapting this popular folktale, Gerald McDermott merges the old with the new, combining bold, rich color with traditional African design motifs and authentic Ashanti language rhythms

Genre: Folklore
The language echoes spoken language with a modern feel to it; but the story still reflects the cultural integrity of early retellings.

Activities: 

CREATE A SPECIAL NAME
Encourage children to recall each son's name and his special talent. Then invite children to create names for themselves that reflect a talent they have. Have children make a name tag by writing the letters for the sounds they know in the name. They can draw a picture or a design to illustrate the name.Children can wear their name tags around their necks, displaying their talents just as the designs on Anansi's sons show their skills.


Response Questions: 

What were some of the problems Anansi had on his journey?
How do the sons help Anansi? What would you do?
What did the spider sons learn from helping their father?
What lesson did you learn from this story? What did you learn about the Ashanti people?




About the Author: 
Caldecott Medalist Gerald McDermott's illustrated books and animated films have brought him international recognition. He is highly regarded for his culturally diverse works inspired by traditional African and Japanese folktales, hero tales of the Pueblos, and the archetypal mythology of Egypt, Greece, and Rome. It was his fascination with the imagery of African folklore that led him to the story of Anansi the Spider. McDermott was born in Detroit, Michigan.

Personal Response: 
I loved this tale, especially the illustrations. The pictures were so vibrant and attractive and the story line was interesting. I like how he combined the folklore with a more modern feel.

Citation: 
McDermott, G. (1987). Anansi the spider: A tale from the ashanti. New York: Henry Holt and Company.

Me . . . Jane by Patrick Mcdonnell

Summary: 
In his characteristic heartwarming style, Patrick McDonnell tells the story of the young Jane Goodall and her special childhood toy chimpanzee named Jubilee. As the young Jane observes the natural world around her with wonder, she dreams of "a life living with and helping all animals," until one day she finds that her dream has come true.

Genre: Nonfiction
All information is factual. The scope is appropriate because the intended audience is younger children. The terminology is appropriate due to the audience. Also, the illustration attracts young readers in because of its cartoonish features.

Activities: 
Local Endangered Species. Jane Goodall is a fervent advocate for the preservation of endangered species. Use the website of the United States Fish and Wildlife Services (below) to identify endangered species in your area. How did these species come to be endangered? What efforts are being made to preserve the species? Ask students to consider what steps they might take to support the efforts.

Pursuing Dreams. Jane Goodall knew from an early age the work to which she wanted to devote her life. Ask your students to think and write about a dream that they have and to consider what they might need to do to achieve that dream. You might choose to make a class big book in which each student has a page to describe their goals.


About the Author:
Patrick McDonnell is the creator of the beloved internationally syndicated comic strip MUTTS, which features the characters that star in five of his children's picture books: Wag!, The Gift of Nothing, Just Like Heaven, South, and Hug Time. He is also the creator of Me . . . Jane, a Caldecott Honor Book and New York Times bestselling picture book biography of Dr. Jane Goodall, and has written and illustrated the award-winning picture book Art.

Personal Response: 
Jane Goodall is a person that has greatly interested me ever since I was a young child. I used to read books about her all the time. I enjoyed this picture book because it focused on Jane's childhood and how she became the humanitarian she is today.

Citation: 
McDonnell, P. (2011). Me.. jane. New York: Little Brown & Co.

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

Summary: 

If you are a dreamer, come in, If you are a dreamer, A wisher, a liar, A hope-er, a pray-er, A magic bean buyer . . . Come in . . . for where the sidewalk ends, Shel Silverstein's world begins. You'll meet a boy who turns into a TV set, and a girl who eats a whale. The Unicorn and the Bloath live there, and so does Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout who will not take the garbage out. It is a place where you wash your shadow and plant diamond gardens, a place where shoes fly, sisters are auctioned off, and crocodiles go to the dentist. Shel Silverstein's masterful collection of poems and drawings is at once outrageously funny and profound.

Genre: Poetry

Silverstein's language is condensed and creative, yet easy to understand for children. Illustrations are unique to the artist and better help the reader understand the underlining meaning of the poem. 

Activities: 

Rhyme Time

Because recognizing the subtle changes in sound is a necessity for kids as they learn to read, Shel Silverstein’s poetry is a natural choice to practice these important skills. Read any of his many rhyming poems (e.g., “If the World Was Crazy,” page 46 in Where the Sidewalk Ends, or “Play Ball,” page 131 

in  A Light in the Attic) aloud to children, instructing them to listen for rhyming words. When they hear a pair, they should raise their hands or clap. Check to see if they can repeat the rhyming pair of words. What is the 

repeating sound? What sounds are different between the two words? Can students think of other words that would also rhyme with that pair?

Count on Poetry

As a class, have students count the number of syllables, words, rhymes, or stanzas in any 

pair of poems (e.g., “Eight Balloons,” page 58 in A Light in the Attic and “Eighteen Flavors,” page 116 in Where the Sidewalk Ends). Then graph the results. Repeat the project in pairs or small groups with additional poems.

About the Author: 

Shel Silverstein's very first children's books, Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back was published in 1963, and followed the next year by two other books: The Giving Tree and A Giraffe and a Half. His first collection of poems and drawings, Where the Sidewalk Ends, appeared in 1974, and his second, A Light in the Attic, in 1981. He grew up in Chicago and created his first cartoons for the adult readers of Pacific Stars and Stripes, when he was a G.I. in Japan and Korea in the 1950s. His latest collection, and his last book to be published before he died in 1999, was Falling Up (1996).

Personal Response: 

I personally am a huge fan of Shel Silverstein. I believe he was a very talented and unique individual. His poetry has a lot of underlining themes of self acceptance, which I absolutely love. 

Citation:

Silverstein, S. (2011). Where the sidewalk ends. New York: Penguin Books.

Holes by Louis Sachar

Summary: Stanley Yelnats the 4th is accused of stealing a pair of sneakers donated to charity by a famous athlete, Clyde Livingston. He is sentenced to 18 months at Camp Green Lake, a boys' juvenile detention center in Texas. There, each boy must spend his day in the desert, which contained a lake during the 1800s, digging a hole five feet deep and five feet in diameter. The Warden and counselors at Camp Green Lake tell them that they are digging to build character and break them of their criminal habits, but Stanley eventually finds that the warden is searching for the treasure hidden by the outlaw Kissing Kate Barlow.
Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction
Some of the components of holes are outstretched, but they are still plausible. The conflict (Stanely's bad luck and sentence to Camp Green Lake) is well defined. There are many characters in "Holes" and I believe Sachar develops them all wonderfully. 

Activities: 

After listening to excerpts from Holes, students will discuss ways that author Louis Sachar uses irony, antonyms and vivid vocabulary to develop his story.   Using a graphic organizer, students compare and contrast these characters/places with their names (for example:  Camp Green Lake is actually a dried up lake that is a detention center for delinquent boys).  The interactive button game below will provide and/or inspire students with creative, interesting options for contrasting character traits/names and setting descriptions/place names in order to create a “backwards poem.” 

Make a map depicting where the action took place in the novel. Put labels on the map to indicate what happened at each location.


Response Questions: 

What is the significance of Stanley's name being a palindrome, a word that is spelled the same way forward and backward?

What do you think the title Holes means? What might be another reason other than the holes the boys dig in the lake? What hole (or holes) is in Stanley's life when he first arrives at Camp Green Lake? Are the holes still there when he leaves?

At home, Stanley did not have friends. But at Camp Green Lake, he forms a special friendship with Zero. How did Zero and Stanley prove their friendship to each other? In what way does Zero fill a hole in Stanley's life?

About the Author: 

Newbery Award-winning author Louis Sachar is the creator of the entertaining Marvin Redpost books as well as the much-loved There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom, winner of 17 child-voted state awards. Louis Sachar's book Holes, winner of the 1999 Newbery Medal, the National Book Award, and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, is also an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, an ALA Quick Pick, an ALA Notable Book, and was made into a major motion picture.

Personal Response: 
I remember reading Holes as a young adult and really enjoying the story line. I also think it teaches a valuable lesson about kids sort of traveled from "the path". The characters that were in juvenile attention all figure themselves out in a positive ending. 

Citation: 
Sachar, L. (2002). Holes. New York: Dell Yearling