WRITING CRAFT USING THREE BOOKS WITH GREAT ILLUSTRATIONS FOR INSPIRATION

Rylant, C. When I was young in the mountains. New York: Penguin Books

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

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

Rylant, C. When I was young in the mountains. New York: Penguin Books

SUMMARY/PLOT

When I Was Young in the Mountains is an old-fashioned story about a young girl and her brother growing up in the Appalachian Mountains with their grandparents. The book is about simple food, simple pleasures, simple living. The young girl often helps with chores around the house.

CHARACTERS

“When I was young in the mountains,

Grandfather came home in the evening

covered with the black dust of a coal mine.

Only his lips were clean, and he used them

To kiss the top of my head.”

The girl’s grandparents are depicted as loving and caring. The girl’s grandmother doesn’t mind walking her to the outhouse.

QUALITY, ILLUSTRATIONS, STYLE

The best books seem to use just the right number of words, and Rylant does this.

“On our way home, we stopped at

Mr. Crawford’s for a mound of white butter.

Mr. Crawford and Mrs. Crawford looked

alike and always smelled of sweet milk.”

Diane Goode’s illustrations show a crowded country store bursting with corn meal, eggs, and Mason jars. Her watercolors detail country life in the early-mid 20th century.

GENRE

Picture book

INTEREST LEVEL

Lexile: 450

Guided Reading level: K

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

SUMMARY/PLOT

In the early 20^th century a young man journeys from his home in Japan to the New World. He is awed by marvellous wonders:

…The endless farm fields reminded him of the ocean he had crossed.

…Huge cities of factories and tall buildings bewildered yet excited him.”

He settles in San Francisco and starts a family, but he misses his Japanese home. When his daughter is almost grown he moves his family back to his Japan. Yet he pines for California, and tells his grandson stories about living there, and plans to return to the U.S. on a trip. Calamity interferes, and his grandson picks up where grandfather left off, and moves to California as a young man.

CHARACTERS AND CONFLICT

The best books seem to use just the right number of words, and Say does this as he refrains from telling us how the characters feel. We know they are full of wistfulness. The have their feet in two worlds and they are always missing where they’re not.

“The funny thing is, the moment I am in one country,

I am homesick for the other.”

THEME

This book is about immigration, war, longing and life.

QUALITY, ILLUSTRATIONS STYLE

This is one of my most favorite children’s books. I have used it with children on both sides of the ocean. It is an excellent book to use with ESL immigrant children. They immediately understand it and tell their own stories about living in two worlds.

Say is both the writer and illustrator. His gorgeous, restrained watercolor illustrations extend his narration just enough.

GENRE

Picture book

INTEREST LEVEL

Lexile: 630

Guided reading level: O

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

SUMMARY/PLOT

A young girl and her father go “owling” on a cold winter night. They have to be quiet in order to be lucky enough to see an owl, and so John Schoenherr’s illustrations have to speak even louder than words, and they do.

CHARACTERS

In this book nature has a big role, almost like a star character.

“…The shadows

were the blackest things

I had ever seen.

They stained the white snow.”

“…the snow below it

was whiter than the milk

in a cereal bowl.”

The girl and her Pa silently trudge through the snow on a mission:

“…watched silently

with heat in our mouths,

the heat of all those words

we had not spoken”

QUALITY, ILLUSTRATIONS, STYLE

This book is ideal for Minnesota school children who live six months of their year in snow and cold. It perfectly depicts the winter brilliance and stark beauty of white, blue, gray brown and black.

THEME

Winter, nature, majestic owls, father and daughter

GENRE

Picture book

INTEREST LEVEL

Lexile: 630

Guided Reading level: O

LESSON PLAN

All three of these books have an interesting way with words, to paraphrase Ray (1999, p. 184), and could be used to engage young writers. Rylant and Yolen are often cited by Katie Wood Ray as authors that have the potential to inspire young writers, such as third graders.

Repeating Sentences (Ray, 1999, p. 165 & 236)

Rylant uses the sentence, “When I was young on the mountain” three times in her book to describe what she did growing up. A third grader could be invited to experiment with this technique to give continuity to her writing piece.

Similes, Metaphors, Personification

When Say describes:

“…Deserts with rocks like enormous sculptures amazed him.”

We can draw a third grader’s attention to both the simile and the illustration that accompanies it, and invite the child to experiment with the simile in his own writing.

As noted in the quotes from the text above, Yolen employs similes and metaphors liberally, along with personification:

“When you go owling

you don’t need words

or warm

or anything but hope.

That’s what Pa says.

The kind of hope

that flies

on silent wings

under a shining

Owl Moon.”

Hope flies on silent wings!

Third graders could be asked to try pairing feelings with interesting action words:

Sadness melts

Happiness sings

Anger burns

Finally, these three books provide further artistic inspiration. I have often used watercolor and tempra with children ages 3-8 to illustrate their writing work. There is nothing like the non-verbal quality of paint media to draw out the deepest feelings and expressions of youngsters.

Ray, K. W. (1999). Wondrous words: Writers and writing in the elementary years. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English.

Zusak, M. (2006). The book thief. New York: Random House.

SUMMARY/PLOT

The Book Thief is narrated by Death, who tells us the story of Liesel Meminger. It's January 1939, and Liesel has joined Hans and Rosa Hubermann as a foster child after being relinquished by her poor, sickly mother and watching her younger brother die. As she views her brother’s burial, she steals her first book: a copy of the “Grave Digger’s Handbook” that she filches from the cemetery. However, she can’t read, and her foster father sees an opportunity to befriend Liesel as he teaches her to read and saves her from chronic nightmares.

Later Liesel steals her second book, “The Shoulder Shrug,” from a pile of burning books during a Hitler-inspired bonfire celebration. She swears hatred for Hitler when she figures out that besides burning beloved books, he also may be responsible for her mother’s death and her father’s disappearance. Hans warns her to keep her Hitler animosity to herself.

Max Vandenburg, the Jewish son of a fellow World War I soldier who Hans knew, becomes the fourth resident of the Hubermann household who must be kept hidden in the basement. Liesel and the Hubermanns befriend and care for him attentively even as Max is wracked by guilt and worry on behalf of his protectors.

Liesel claims other older friends, including the mayor’s wife Ilsa who has hired Rosa as her launderer. Ilsa indulges Liesel’s reading passion, and looks the other way when Liesel begins stealing books from her.

As the Hubermann household’s fear of harboring a Jew intensify, Max departs, and later Rosa shows Liesel the homemade book Max left for her, a defiant and hope-filled book written on painted-over pages of Adolph Hitler's book Mein Kampf. It's called The Word Shaker. Hans has also temporarily been conscripted to serve the Nazi war machine, and Rosa and Liesel fear for his return. With Hans and Max gone, Liesel does her best to go on. She reads to the residents of Himmel Street in the bomb shelter during air raids, thieves with her best friend Rudy, and helps Rosa. Just after Liesel's fourteenth birthday, Liesel and Rosa get word that Hans is coming home. He broke his leg in a bus accident, and his sergeant is transferring him. 

In August of 1943, Liesel sees Max again. He's marching through Molching to Dachau. She walks with him in the suffering procession. Liesel learns that he was captured some six months earlier, about five months after he left the house on Himmel Street. The Nazi guards don't take well to Liesel's courageous display, and Liesel and Max are both whipped. Rudy stops Liesel from following Max any further and possibly saves her life.



Soon after, Ilsa presents Liesel with a blank book, and Liesel begins writing the story of her life, called The Book Thief. She writes in the basement, and thus escapes death during a carpet-bombing of Molching in which every one of her loved ones are blown to smithereens. In despair over their deaths, Liesel drops her book, but it's picked up by Death. Soon Ilsa Hermann arrives and rescues her. Alex Steiner comes home, and Liesel spends nostalgic, bittersweet time with him. 
As the novel comes to a close, we learn that Liesel has died after living a long and happy life in Australia. We also learn that Max survived the concentration camp, and that he and Liesel reunited at the end of World War II. We surmise that they may have journeyed to Australia together.

CHARACTERS

Hans and Rosa Hubermann are winning characters among many. Hans’ selflessness cannot be overstated, and Rosa perhaps makes the most complete transformation from coarse to circumspect and munificent. This is one of the best books I’ve read in the last five years in terms of character development.

CONFLICT

The story contains tension between inner goodness and freedom and fascism, obedience and disobedience, girls and boys, hope and despair, and life and death.

GENRE

Historical Fiction

INTEREST LEVEL

Lexile 730

This book would be appropriate for accelerated readers in junior high and beyond.

LESSON PLAN

Socratic Questioning

The Junior Great Book Series (1992) has long been known for its Socratic and inquiry-based method of questioning. Shared inquiry notes important passages, and creates a framework for students to share questions and ideas about readings with classmates. Students learn from the author and from one another. Students learn to form factual, evaluative, and interpretive and questions. Fact questions ask fellow students to recall specific happenings from the reading. Evaluative questions allow the reader to answer questions concerning their beliefs in light of the story or reading, and how the reader feels about the author’s ideas. Interpretive questions are the heart of Junior Great Books. Students ponder the meaning of the reading, and no one answer is the “right” answer. An interpretive question may focus on a single event in the story, for example. Any answer that can be supported with passages from the text counts as a good answer.

Below, I will focus on evaluative and interpretive questions about The Book Thief.

1. “ ‘Liesel would not get out of the car.’

‘What’s wrong with this child?’

There was the gate next, which she clung to.

A gang of tears trudged from her eyes as she held on and refused to go inside. People started to gather on the street until Rosa Hubermann swore at them, after which they reversed back, whence they came” (p. 28).

What was Liesel feeling? How did this opening to the story make you feel?

2. “Looking back, Liesel could tell exactly what her papa was thinking when he scanned the first page of The Grave Digger’s Handbook…Not to mention the morbidity of the subject…As for the girl, there was a sudden desire to read it…On some level, she wanted to make sure her brother was buried right…hunger to read that book…” (p. 56)

What qualities of personality does this passage reveal about Hans? About Liesel? What about their personalities are complimentary?

3. “What shocked Liesel most was the change in her mama…She was a good woman in a crisis” (p. 211).

What made Rosa different when Max came? What does her transformation say about her?

4. “Occasionally he brought the copy of Mein Kampf and read it next to the flames, seething at the content…

‘Is it good?’

He looked up…Sweeping away anger…’It saved my life’ (p. 217).

What does Max’ answer tell you about him?

5. “Lastly, the Hubermanns…

Papa.

His soul sat up. It met me. Those kinds of souls always do—Those souls are always light because more of them have been put out…There was…an immense, magnetic pull toward the basement…” (p. 531-2).

What does Zusak mean, “…more of the have been put out”? How does Zusak’s eulogy for Hans compare to the other eulogies for the Steiners, Rudy, and Rosa?

Great Books Foundation. (1992). Junior great books, series seven. Chicago: Junior Great Books.

Martin, J. & Archambault, J. (1966). Knots on a counting rope. New York: Henry Holt.

POETRY

“A poem that tells a story is narrative poetry” (Norton, 2011, p. 32). Knots on a Counting Rope is a narrative poem and a poem for two voices: an old man and a young boy tell the story of the boy’s birth, the story of the boy’s horse race, and how the boy got his name: Boy-Strength-of-Blue-Horses. It is an American Indian-themed story, and sensitively weaves in Native traditions of oral storytelling, grandparent-grandchild relationships, and connections with the natural world.

“…and you raised your arms

to the great blue horses,

and I said,

‘See how the horses speak to him

They are his brothers from…’

“…from beyond the dark mountains.

This boy child will not die.’

That is what you said,

Isn’t it Grandfather?”

Part way through the book we learn the astonishing detail that the boy is blind. Yet the boy teaches his horse to ride with him to the sheep pasture on the plains, and to find the way home again. He even races with his horse.

“I said,

‘Boy-Strength-of-Blue-Horses,

you have raced the darkness and won!

You now can see with your heart,

Feel a part of all that surrounds you.

Your courage lights the way.

Yes, I remember, Grandfather.

They said,

“This boy walks in beauty.

His dreams are more beautiful

Than rainbows and sunsets.”

ELEMENTS OF POETRY

The book is full of metaphors. That is the way grandfather describes colors to his grandson:

“…Grandfather,

but I cannot see the blue.

What is blue?

“You know morning, Boy.

Yes, I can feel morning.

Morning throws off

The blanket of night.”

The deep relationship between the boy and his grandfather is poignantly revealed at the end of the book:

“I always feel strong

When you are with me, grandfather.

“I will not always be with you, boy.

“No, grandfather,

Don’t ever leave me.

What will I do without you?

“You will never be alone, Boy.

My love, like the strength of blue horses,

Will always surround you!”

ILLUSTRATIONS

Ted Rand’s lovely watercolor illustrations mostly depict dark scenes—evening campfires, kerosene-lit interiors—perhaps as a metaphor for Boy-Strength-of-Blue-Horses’ blindness.

INTEREST LEVEL

Lexile: 480

Guided Reading Level: M

LESSON PLAN

Knots on a Counting Rope could be a read-aloud that could be read quite a number of times. After the first few group readings and discussions it could be read as a poem for two voices—the boy’s and the grandfather’s—if it was projected onto the big screen with the help of a document viewer or if it was scanned and turned into a pdf. Older readers could read the book themselves, too. It would be a good book to have several copies of for Guided Reading.

This writing lesson plan could be used in grades three, four, and five. Children could be invited to tell about their lives and make their own “knots on a counting rope:” to each rope knot a three-by-five card is tied telling something that happened in a child’s year. A simple sentence starter such as, “I was born on __________________. During my first year I ____________________.” “When I was two __________________________.” Children write a card for each of their years on earth. Older children would be encouraged to write a paragraph.

Norton, D. (2011). Through the eyes of a child. An introduction to children’s literature, 8^th ed. Boston: Pearson.

POETRY

POETRY

INTRODUCTION

As mentioned earlier, when we focus on rhyme we help young children develop phonemic awareness (Gambrell, Mandel-Morrow & Pressley, 2007). The two books below could be presented to children during a unit on poetry.

For Early Elementary Readers

Hoberman, M. (2001). You read to me, I’ll read to you. New York: Little Brown & Company.

“Here’s a book

With something new –

You read to me!

I’ll read to you!”

With this beginning, the lines of each poem are color-coded and indented to show who reads which lines. Young children LOVE taking turns reading these poems!

ELEMENTS OF POETRY

“I see a mouse.

I see one, too!

We see two mice.

What shall we do?”

The poems contained in Hoberman’s book are rhythmic and repetitive, perfect for young learners. The special shape of each poem cues the reader regarding which line to read next.

For Older Elementary and Early Middle School Students

Fleischman, P. (1988). Joyful noise: Poems for two voices. New York: Harper Trophy.

ELEMENTS OF POETRY

Water Boatman

“ ‘Stroke!’ ‘Stroke!’

We’re water boatman

‘Stroke!’ ‘Stroke!’

Up early, rowing

‘Stroke!’ ‘Stroke!’

We’re cockswain calling

‘Stroke!’ ‘Stroke!’

and oarsman straining

‘Stroke!’ ‘Stroke!’ ”

As Norton states (2011, p. 318) “Poets may place their words on pages in ways designed to supplement meaning and to create greater visual impact.” Fleischman also designs his poems to be read aloud by two readers; some parts are solo and some parts are duet. In Joyful Noise Fleischman depicts the sounds and motion of nature (Norton, p. 329).

LESSON PLANS

· A language arts center could be set up where three early elementary age students could read You Read To Me, I’ll Read To You to each other.

· Students could write “I Am” poems, taking on the character of a famous person and writing a poem from that person’s perspective (Tompkins, 2010, p. 401).

· Older students could perform “Reader’s Theatre” and read Fleischman’s Poems for Two Voices in a performance.

· Students could create “found poems” (Tompkins, p. 404) using lines and sentences from books they are reading, even science books. For example, the study of push, pull and physics could yield delightful poems about friction!

Gambrell, L., Madell Morrow, L, & Pressley, M., (Eds.). (2007). Best practices in literacy instruction, 3rd ed. New York: Guilford Press.

Norton, G. (2011). Through the eyes of a child: An introduction to children’s literature, 8^th ed. Boston: Pearson.

Tompkins, G. (2010). Literacy for the 21^st century: A balanced approach, 5^th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

American Indian children's literature

INTRODUCTION

The three leveled books below could be used in a middle elementary Guided Reading class with a diverse group of readers. The books examine American Indian tales and culture.

DePaola, T. (1983). The legend of bluebonnet: An old tale of Texas (retold). New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons.

SUMMARY AND PLOT

The Legend of the Blue Bonnet is about a Comanche girl who lost her family to famine. The girl, She-Who-Is-Alone, must decide whether to sacrifice her most valued possession to save her people. After much reflection she sacrifices her beloved doll, made by her mother, for the good of her people. She scatters the doll’s ashes and thus blankets the hills with blue flowers that spring up after a cleansing rain.

STYLE AND ILLUSTRATIONS

DePaola does not abbreviate this story. He seems to stay true to Indian values of honouring the earth and paying heed to ones ancestors. His illustrations are spare yet colourful.

CONFLICT

At first, She-Who-Is-Alone holds tight to her doll. She talks to her doll and explains the unfolding tragedy, and the shaman’s appeal for sacrifice for the good of the tribe. It soon dawns on her what she must do, and she seems a child no more.

THEME

Sadness and wistfulness for the vanished buffalo fill the story’s pages. Sacrifice and youthful bravery dominate the storyline, and are alluded to throughout the book. Again, this is an allegorical tale of giving. The tale teaches us about generosity and the needs of the many rather than the few.

CHARACTERIZATION

How can a young orphan, She-Who-Is-Alone, be so selfless?

GENRE

Native American story, retold

INTEREST LEVEL

Lexile: 740

Guided Reading level: 740

Steptoe, J. (1993). The story of jumping mouse: A Native American legend (retold). New York: Scholastic.

SUMMARY AND PLOT

Courageous, generous and compassionate Jumping Mouse strives to reach the far-off land. But during his journey he gives away all of his belongings to needy animals. When he finally reaches the far-off land in a hindered state he experiences a miraculous, awe-inspiring transformation.

CHARACTERS

Realistic-looking Jumping Mouse is loveable. His generosity is astounding and instructive. On almost every page he meets a new animal friend with needs greater than his own. Magic Frog has extraordinary powers. Fat mouse is a cynic. Huge bison’s plight spurs Jumping Mouse’s first astonishing giveaway, and then the bison helps the little mouse. All along the animals assume new names in honor of their gifts.

STYLE AND ILLUSTRATIONS

Steptoe, who died an untimely early death, in his text seems to stay true to the spirit of poetry, transformation, and elevation of character that is present in many American Indian stories. His black and white pen and ink illustrations are textured and evocative.

THEME

Compassion, courage, and selflessness are the themes of this book. The Story of Jumping Mouse is an allegorical tale with a hidden meaning. It is a selfless story that teaches us to be generous and compassionate, qualities that are alluded to on every page. Personification is used throughout as animals speak with human voices. Jumping Mouse’s future is foreshadowed. Even the youngest reader listening to this story knows that Jumping Mouse is bound for something greater and higher.

CONFLICT

On each page Jumping Mouse doubts that he can go further. And on each page Jumping Mouse gives more of his small self away. But his compassionate spirit is matched by the kindness of others. Jumping Mouse courageously pushes on.

GENRE

Native American story, retold

INTEREST LEVEL

Lexile: 550

Guided reading level: L

Vaughan, R. (1993). Lift up the sky: A Snohomish Indian legend (retold). New Jersey: Pearson.

SUMMARY & PLOT

The Snohomish join together to lift the sky higher because they are bumping their heads on it. But inadvertently hunters and deer who ran into the sky earlier are stranded. Thus, the Big Dipper is formed.

QUALITY, ILLUSTRATIONS, STYLE

The watercolor illustrations are beautiful, but in simplifying the story for an H reading level, the re-telling author seems to have left details out. American Indian language is full of poetry, and none of this quality comes through. A quick web search reveals additional information about this legend posted on www.firstpeople.us, a site that appears to be written by a Native American and First Nations group. Additional, definitive information about this legend would need to be gathered before this book could be presented to students. Personification is used in this book: the sky is falling asleep.

CONFLICT

The Snohomish in the northwest part of the North American continent feel the oppressiveness of the constant low cloud cover and work to “lift the sky up.”

GENRE

Native American story, retold

INTEREST LEVEL

Lexile: 400

Guided Reading level: H

LESSON PLANS

http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/Academic_Excellence/Indian_Education/K12_Curriculum/index.html

The website above provides much information about American Indian Anishanabe and Dakota education themes and lessons. Here are some examples of lessons that could be interwoven with the books above:

American Indian History, Culture and Language and Oral Tradition Curriculum—The Ojibwe and the Dakota most often tell their stories, teachings and history during the winter months. Teachers are urged to use the terms “stories” and “teachings” and discouraged from using the words “myths” and legends” when discussing American Indian oral traditions. Stories and teachings tell how the earth was made and describe characters with both human and mystical qualities.

American Indian Values Curriculum—Respect is at the center of traditional Anishanabe and Dakota beliefs, including respect for the Creator, Mother Earth, elders, family members, the community, and all living things in nature. Other values include: gratitude; generosity; courage; humility; cooperation and consensus; and patience.

American Indian Family Life Curriculum—Unlike the Anglo-western nuclear family concept, American Indians believe that the family is comprised of extended family members, too, including grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, and elders, and that mutual dependence is the norm. Further the phrase, “all my relatives” in both the Ojibwe and Dakota languages is defined similarly as “… all human life, plant life, animal life, and all things of this earth.”[i]

---

[i]http://education.state.mn.us/mdeprod/groups/Choice/documents/Presentation/003003.pdf, p. 3.

Crow Boy

Yashima, T. (1955). Crow boy. New York: Viking Press.

SUMMARY

Crow Boy, by Taro Yashima, received the Caldecott Medal for its exceptional artwork in 1956. The story is set in rural Japan in the early part of the 20^th century. The striking pictures were done in ink, crayon, pencil and tempera. Crow Boy is a book about an outcast boy who struggles in school but excels in other ways. The protagonist is named Chibi, which means, “tiny boy.” At first he is afraid of the teacher and the students. Chibi always straggles alone at the end of the class line. He behaves oddly in school and this earns him few friends—his classmates call him “stupid” and “slowpoke.” Everyday he comes to school clad in a dried zebra grass poncho and eats the same meagre lunch by himself. In the children’s sixth year, Mr. Isobe, becomes the new teacher and he befriends Chibi and discovers and nurtures Chibi’s talents. Later, in the school talent show, Mr. Isobe encourages Chibi to perform his remarkable imitations and the students are stunned and touched by Chibi’s skill, and feel sympathy for him for the first time. At the end of the book Chibi is honored with an award for years of perfect attendance, though he has trudged miles in mountainous terrain to come to and from school each day.

CHARACTERS

Besides Chibi, the main character of interest in the book is Mr. Isobe. In contrast with the old, wizened former headmaster, the new Mr. Isobe exudes openness and concern.

QUALITY AND ILLUSTRATIONS

This spare book highlights mean-spirited village teasing and the difficulties of a child with special needs in another country, but it can easily apply to bullying and exclusion in today’s classroom. The illustrations allude to Chibi’s far-off home in the mountains. The book employs “simile” and compares Chibi’s voice to the call of crows. Rural, Japanese village life is portrayed in the book, describing fauna, foods, and rough clothing items worn by the poor. With the sparest strokes of a pen Yashima shows in Chibi’s face the boy’s oddness and forlornness, his shyness, growth, and contentment at the end.

PLOT AND CONFLICT

The conflict is Chibi’s wretched isolation and exclusion. This is only overcome by the kindness of a teacher who makes extra effort to get to know the child and highlight his strengths and models acknowledging Chibi’s rare skills.

GENRE

Illustrated story book, fiction

INTEREST LEVEL

Grade 2-3, but good for older elementary when discussing bullying and exclusion

Lexile: 690

Guided Reading Level: L

MINI-LESSON

This book presents an opportunity to discuss taunting, mocking, and exclusion. The mini-lesson could be composed of open-ended discussion questions, starting with innocuous queries first, and moving into questions of greater individual and group self-examination.

How is the school in the story different from our school here in Minnesota?

Why do you think Chibi keeps coming to school everyday?

What kinds of gifts or special talents did Chibi have that were different from his classmates?

Why don’t children defend him when he is teased?

Why does Mr. Isobe take extra time with Chibi?

How does Chibi feel, do you think, when he spends time with Mr. Isobe?

Who has the most power to alter an unkind, teasing situation? Why?

Third blog post

THIRD BLOG POST

The three books below are rhyming picture books. They could be presented together in a unit of poetry study for early-elementary age children. The books feature assonance, alliteration, and rhythm. The books lend themselves to shared reading, phonics and sound-matching activities, and poetry writing.

Ahlberg, J. & Ahlberg, A. (1978). Each peach, pear, plum. New York: Scholastic.

Plot

Each Peach, Pear, Plum presents hidden nursery rhyme characters in an I spy format. It begins with Tom Thumb in a fruit tree, and features Mother Hubbard, Cinderella, Bo-Peep, and many others. The plot is often humorous: Baby Bunting’s bassinet is shot out of a tree when Baby Bear’s (of the Three Bears) gun accidentally goes off.

Characterization

On each page anticipation builds as young children hunt for the mentioned character concealed on the page. Kindergarteners and first graders love to find the out-of-sight characters in often slap-stick positions, such as upside down or floating down rivers.

Setting

The setting is bucolic: the story takes place in gently rolling meadow in the countryside. The mood of the setting is pastoral and soft, in contrast to the frequent humorous misfire of the gun.

Theme

The theme of Each Peach, Pear, Plum extends and blends common nursery rhyme story-lines into the ridiculous: “Jack and Jill in the ditch. I spy the wicked witch.” Jack and Jill roll down the hill into brambles where the Wicked Witch is hiding.

Style

Each page features two lines in identical meter with rhymes at the end: wood, hood, ditch, witch. When we focus on rhyme we help young children develop phonemic awareness (Gambrell, Mandel-Morrow & Pressley, 2007). The soothing pictures are watercolor and colored pencil.

Level

200-350 Lexile

Guided Reading level G

Shaw, N. (1986). Sheep in a jeep. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Plot

Five sheep have constant, humorous trouble. It doesn’t appear that the sheep have much experience driving the jeep. At the end the sheep sell the jeep.

Characterization

True to the dimness of sheep intellect, these sheep have constant mishaps, often attributable, perhaps, to inattention. Again, slap-stick elements, such as sheep rolling down the hill into a mud puddle, appeal to early elementary children.

Style

Children immediately laugh at the rolly-polly sheep drawn in colored pencil. On one of the first pages a sheep sits knitting. Knowledgeable children immediately see the humor in a sheep with knitting needles, perhaps using yarn from its own wool. Each page contains six-to-seven word sentences sometimes with multiple rhymes: “Sheep in a jeep on a hill that’s steep.” Even struggling readers get into the rhythm of the sentence and flow through difficult st- blends with the help of picture clues. Shaw uses assonance—repetition of vowel sounds—effectively and humorously: tug, shrug, yelp, help.

Level

Lexile: 350

Guided Reading level: G

Dodd, L. (1990). Slinky malinky. London: Penguin Group.

Plot and Summary

This delightful book by New Zealander Lynley Dodd uses a plethora of literary elements: assonance, alliteration, vivid verbs, and plenty of strong Anglo Saxon words (pillaged, smock). It is about mischievious Slinky Malinki who has a kink at the end of his very long tail. At night he turns into a thief and snitches an odd assortment of items: “…slippers, sausages, biscuits, balloons, brushes, bandages, pencils and spoons.” He "pulls them, drags them, heaves them home." At the end of the book he seems reformed.

Characterization

Slinky Malinky is a sly, playful, intelligent cat. He is also a collector who is eventually caught. Children will relate to his wickedness.

Setting

Dodd’s watercolors convey a moody night-time setting.

Theme and Style

The theme is naughty, nocturnal Slinky Malinky. On almost every page Dodd employs a striking eight-line rhyme scheme: a,b,c,b, e,f,g,f. One of the funniest things about the book is the depiction of skinny, disobedient Slinky Malinky, done in watercolor and pen and ink.

Level

Lexile 350-500

Guided Reading level: K

Lesson Plans

Read-Alouds and Shared Reading

Each Peach, Pear Plum and Sheep in a Jeep lend themselves to read-alouds and shared reading activities that children could eventually do at language arts centers. In a second read aloud, the teacher could put the short books on chart paper and ask child volunteers to read along using a pointer to point at each word.

Rhymes

“Who knows what rhyming words are?” the teacher could ask (Tompkins, 2010, p. 174). Words that sound alike at the end of the word rhyme. The teacher could highlight hill and Jill in Each Peach, Pear, Plum. Children can spell more –ill words by adding consonants in front of –ill: pill, fill mill.

Alliteration and Assonance

Alliteration—the repetition of initial consonants, and assonance— the repetition of vowel sounds (Norton, 2011, p. 316), could be especially highlighted in Slinky Malinki.

“CRASH went the bottles,

BEE-BEEP went the clock,

RO-RO-RO-RO

Went the dogs on the block.

On went the lights, BANG went the door

and out came the family,

one, two, three, four.”

The consonant beginning blends in clock and block could be pointed out, as well as the different but similar sounding vowel sounds in door and four. This exploration could be related to Words Their Way word sorts, too.

Poetry

Children could be invited to create their own poems after reading these three books and other rhyming books multiple times. Children would be encouraged to create real and nonsense words (Tompkins, p. 152) for their poems, and share them aloud with the class.

Gambrell, L., Madell Morrow, L, & Pressley, M., (Eds.). (2007). Best practices in literacy instruction, 3rd ed. New York: Guilford Press.

Norton, G. (2011). Through the eyes of a child: An introduction to children’s literature, 8^th ed. Boston: Pearson.

Tompkins, G. (2010). Literacy for the 21^st century: A balanced approach, 5^th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Second blog post: Children's Literature

INTRODUCTION

The three beginner chapter books below, Fox and Friends, Frog and Toad are Friends, and George and Martha: Tons of Fun, use personification in their illustrations to show animals acting as humans in likely and unlikely humorous situations involving friends and family.

Marshall, E. (1982). Fox and his friends. New York: Scholastic.

SUMMARY

This funny book about friends and family contains three chapters: Fox in Trouble; Fox all Wet; Fox on Duty. In the first story Fox is forced to look after his little sister Louise and almost loses her in a dangerous high place. He bribes her with ice cream so that she will not report the incident to their mother. Marshall uses allusion in his drawings on page 15 to suggest where Louise is hiding by showing only the tip of her little fox tail. In the second story Fox has to take care of his sister again. But this time he tries to abandon her at the pool and hang out with his friends. In a repeat performance Louise hides in a high place, and Fox is talked into doing something he doesn’t want to do to retrieve her. In the last story Fox ditches his job as a safety patrol crossing guard to go swimming with his friends. But while relaxing and building sand castles he has visions of the old animals that are stranded on the corner unable to cross because he is not there. He goes back to help one grandpa dog cross the street.

CHARACTERS

Marshall makes Fox and his animal family and friends seem like animated people and children who make funny mistakes and have a conscience.

QUALITY

These stories convey humorous scenarios about family obligations and the pull of fun and freedom with friends.

CONFLICT

All three stories are full of the conflict Fox feels when he has to care for his sister or attend to his job versus hanging out with is buddies.

ILLUSTRATIONS

Edward Marshall, who also wrote as James Edward Marshall, uses line drawings and a few basic colors to illustrate sullenness, unhappiness, mischievousness, and delight. It is not the characters’ faces that convey their actions, but the humorous placement of their bodies on the page.

INTEREST LEVEL

2^nd grade

LEXILE

200

Level J

Lobel, A. (1970). Frog and Toad are friends. New York: Harper Collins.

SUMMARY

Frog and Toad are best friends who do everything together. This book includes five stories. First, Frog tries to wake Toad from his long winter nap. When Frog is sick Toad tells him stories. When Toad loses a button, Frog helps him find it. When Toad wears a funny bathing suit while swimming, Frog tries not to laugh. And Frog knows just what to do when Toad complains about never receiving any mail. He writes Toad a note and gives it to a snail that is the letter carrier. Then Frog goes over to Toad’s house and wakes him up and says, “I think you should get up and wait for the mail some more.” But Toad doesn’t think he will ever get a letter. Finally, Frog cannot keep it to himself any longer. He tells Toad that there will be a letter, because he wrote Toad a special letter that says, “Dear Toad, I am glad that you are my best friend.” The two friends wait happily on the porch for the letter that arrives four days later by snail mail.

CHARACTERS

In this book Frog takes the lead in helping out his friend Toad. Toad reciprocates by being unwaveringly loyal and faithful to Frog.

QUALITY

It is hard to beat Frog and Toad books for their depiction of friendship. These two best buddies always aid each other.

CONFLICT

All five stories contain challenges that must be conquered: over-sleeping and needing to wake up; turning green with illness and needing help to get better; losing a button and needing assistance finding it; getting over feeling embarrassed about a bathing suit; and receiving mail and feeling loved rather than left out.

ILLUSTRATIONS

Frog and Toad are Friends received the Caldecott medal in 1971 for its simple, funny brown and green illustrations.

INTEREST LEVEL

2^nd grade

LEXILE

400

Level K

Marshall, J. (1980). George and Martha: Tons of fun. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

SUMMARY

This is also a chapter book. George and Martha are rotund hippos. Marshall uses hyperbole—the exaggerated large size of the hippos—to convey the unlikely plot of hippopotamuses acting like humans who live in houses. The first story is called “The Misunderstanding,” in which George can’t pay attention to Martha because he is standing on his head. The second story, “The Sweet Tooth,” depicts George and Martha ruining their health with cigar smoking and sugar consumption. “The Photograph” is the third story, and Martha sits in a photo booth. The resulting hilarious photo on page 25 foreshadows an event later in the book. In “The Hypnotist” George hypnotizes Martha so that she does not catch him sneaking to the cookie jar. But Martha catches him and eats all the cookies herself. In “The Special Gift” Martha loses George’s birthday gift while playing hopscotch. Instead she gives George the photo of herself from story two and he falls off the chair laughing uproariously.

QUALITY

Young grade schoolers (and adults) find these hippopotamuses very funny. They play little tricks on one another and have mishaps. These stories are perfect for slapstick second graders and for discussing friendship, caring, foibles, forgiveness, and tolerance.

CONFLICT

The problems in these stories are often solved by George and Martha laughing at themselves. Disagreements early are often resolved by George and Martha partaking in further calamities together.

ILLUSTRATIONS

Marshall again uses his pen sparingly to draw original, funny characters without a lot of facial expression. He conveys humor by emphasizing the characters’ largeness and putting them in unlikely places, like in the photo booth.

INTEREST LEVEL

Grade 2

LEXILE

420

Level L

MINI-LESSON

These beginning chapter books could be taught together to a class with different levels of readers in small group settings. They are all about animal families and friends who take care of one another. These books satisfy young children’s desire to read about characters in absurd situations (Norton, 2011, p. 182). Before reading, the covers of the books could be examined. “What do you think these animals are going to act like in the stories?” A child will probably say that the animals are going to do what people do: Fox swings on a swing set on the cover of Fox and Friends. The teacher could validate this response and check for student prior knowledge by asking children if they have read other books about animals that are like humans and have funny things happen to them.

Frog and Toad are Friends contains a table of contents that could be examined and discussed. “On what page could we find the story entitled, “A Lost Button?” The teacher asks. The inside of the books could be further examined before reading to identify common cite words that the children are familiar with. Hard words could also be defined: “hypnotize” appears on page 28 of George and Martha, and children could be challenged to break this word into parts for ease of pronunciation.

After reading, the mini-lesson could focus on the literary element of personification. The characters in these books are not inanimate objects, but they are also not realistic looking animals. They more closely resemble children’s stuffed toys. They have acquired human characteristics. “What human emotions or feelings have the animals taken on?” The teacher asks the children. A mental list could be developed based on student input. In Fox and Friends Fox doesn’t want to care for his sister. He would rather be with his friends. He is scared when his sister disappears. Toad feels sad when no one writes to him. Frog feels bad for his friend. Frog kindly writes to his friend Toad to cheer him up. Martha is sometimes disgusted with George. “What other human things are the characters doing in these stories?” All of the animals wear clothes. Martha gets her picture taken in the photo booth.

The next reading mini-lesson could extend the idea of personification to inanimate objects such as the steam shovel Mary Anne in Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, or The Gingerbread Man.

Norton, D. (2011). Through the eyes of a child: An introduction to children’s literature. Boston: Pearson.