Matilda by Roald Dahl

Matilda

Written by Roald Dahl
Illustrated by Quentin Blake

Publisher: Puffin

Copyright date: June 1988

Number of pages: 240

Age Level: 8-12
Fantasy

Matilda is a gifted school-aged girl who grew up in a family with parents that did not care much about her. Matilda taught herself to read and used books as a way to escape the harsh reality of her home life. She attended a school with a very cruel Principal, Miss Trunchbull, whose tactics are beyond questionable. Matilda becomes very close with her teacher, Miss Honey who shows Matilda what it is like to be loved and appreciated. One day Miss Trunchbull attacks Matilda and that is when Matilda finds out she is more than just intellectually gifted; she learns she has powers. Matilda uses her powers to fight back against the Principal and her own family. 

There are many ways to create lessons based on this book. After students finish reading the book, I would create groups of 3-4 students and assign each group a different set of chapters from the book. Each group will create a script for the chapters they were assigned. The script will need to have at least three characters and a narrator. Students will use the writing process to write these scripts. They will then need to assign a specific part to each in their group. I would give them time to rehearse then they will do a read through their scripts one group at a time. The groups will go in sequential order according to which chapters they have so that by the end, they have basically retold the story. 

Fritz and the Beautiful Horses by Jan Brett

Fritz and the Beautiful Horses

Written and Illustrated by Jan Brett

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers 

Copyright date: 1981

Number of pages: 32

Age Level: 4-7
Folklore

Fritz does not look like the other horses. He has short legs, his coat was not shiny, and his mane is a mess. He can barely keep up with the other horses and does not look the same when prancing. The other horses carry very important people to the walled city where only beautiful horses can go into. The people inside the city just laugh at poor Fritz. But Fritz is hard working and dependable. He proves to all the city people that there is more to a horse than just being beautiful. He becomes well loved after rescuing the children of the city.

This book uses a lot of adjectives to describe different characters and settings. I would reinforce the use of adjectives and use this opportunity to explain that beauty is what is on the inside, not the outside. I would have students write a list of adjectives that describe Fritz then they can all put their lists into a box that is ugly. I would explain that even though this box is ugly on the outside, what's on the inside is beautiful. Then each student would receive a box and they will write adjectives describing themselves on the inside of the box. They may then decorate the box on the outside as well. Once all students are done, they can walk around and see what the other students wrote about themselves.

Dona Flor: A Tall Tale About a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart by Pat Mora

Dona Flor: A Tall Tale About a Giant Woman
With a Big Heart

By Pat Mora
Illustrated By Raul Colon

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Copyright date: October 2005

Number of pages: 40

Age Level: 3-7
Folklore

Dona Flor is a giant woman who lives in a very small village of normal-sized people. All the people in the village really like Flor and she likes them as well. She loves reading to the children of the village and often gives the villagers items such as tortillas to use as rafts. One day they all heard a very loud and terrifying sound coming from right outside their village; it sounded like a large animal. Everyone is afraid except for Flor who is very protective of her friends. She sets off with other animals to go investigate the noise. When she finds the source of the noise, she does not do what you would expect her to do, instead, she uses her heart. This book features Spanish words and phrases throughout the book which really reinforces the bicultural characters and setting of the book.

 I think this would be a great book to use during Women's History Month. I would read this book to my class after we have learned about a few women who have had a positive impacted on history. I would then have the students compare and contrast Dona Flora with one of the women we have learned about. Students would create a poster comparing and contrasting the two women. They can choose to show this in a venn diagram, drawing pictures, creating lists or any other way they can think of as long as the information is apparent. I would want to give some freedom on how this assignment is completed to allow students to express their opinions in their own way and show their own strengths. We would also discuss what are some characteristics that make someone a good person and what does a good leader look, sound and act like? This lesson will incorporate reading, writing, character education, Spanish and art into one. 

Awards: Pura Belpre Award for Illustration

A Poke in the I by Paul B. Janeczko

A Poke in the I: A Collection of Concrete Poems

Written by Paul B. Janeczko

Illustrated by Chris Raschka

Publisher: CandlewickPress

Copyright date: 2001

Number of pages: 48

Age Level: 6-9
Children's Poetry

This book contains 30 concrete poems that startle and intrigue the reader. The arrangement and size of the letters and words change from poem to poem. Some poems are in the shape of the object it is talking about such as a balloon or the words take shape of a murder of crows flying off the page. These visual poems will capture every readers attention and allows the reader an experience to see the poem!

For a lesson I would have the class come up with a long list of random objects in their lives and I would write these objects on the whiteboard. The students would then choose any of the objects on the board to write a concrete poem on. They would have a lot of creative freedom on this assignment. They could work independently or in pairs. For those who may need a bit of help getting started I would have students pick their object then write down things they associate with that object such as other objects, descriptive words or personal memories. Then I would tell them to circle the words they like best. This would help them get started on their poem.

Outside Your Window by Nicola Davies

Outside Your Window: A First Book of Nature

By: Nicola Davies

Publisher: CandlewickPress

Copyright date: February 2012

Number of pages: 108

Age Level: 3-7

Children's Poetry

This beautifully illustrated book is full of poems that remind the reader that nature is everywhere and is always waiting to be discovered. It reminds us that nature can be found in the city, in our own backyards and even in the streets. These poems help the reader explore nature and remember how beautiful it can be. It explores the sights and sounds of all the seasons, different animals and a variety of plants.

This book can easily be used in many different lessons. The obvious lesson would be a poetry lesson in which the students would create their own poem about a specific piece of nature. I think giving the students the choice to choose which part of nature they want to write about is key. Another way I would want to use this in the classroom is to have students choose a poem from the book then write a continuation of that poem. They would be adding on to it or doing a sequel to the poem. I would also have the students illustrate their own poems as well.

There are Monsters Everywhere by Mercer Mayer

There are Monsters Everywhere

By: Mercer Mayer

Publisher: Dial Books

Copyright date: July 2005

Number of pages: 32

Age Level: 4-8

Picture Book

A young boy knows there are monsters lurking around every corner, under every bed, in every basement, and behind every trash can. Mom and dad can't see them, but he knows they are there just waiting to scare him. Finally, determined to overcome his fear of monsters, he enrolls in a karate class! He practices his karate moves every chance he gets just hoping the monsters are watching. 

I think this would be a great book to use at the beginning of the year for Kindergarteners. The theme of this book is overcoming fear and many young students are nervous and scared on their first days of school. This book could help them realize that we all have fears but we can take control of them and overcome them. I would read this book out loud to the entire class then I would have them use lunch bags, crayons and glue to create puppets of themselves being brave.

The Pout Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen

The Pout-Pout Fish

By Deborah Diesen

Pictures by Dan Hanna

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Copyright date: March 2008

Number of pages: 32

Age Level: 3-6

Picture Book

A pout-pout fish swims around deep in the ocean with a permanent frown on his face. He believes that because he is a pout-pout fish he should naturally "spread the dreary-wearies all over the place". Many of his friends approach him with advice on how to change but he continues to believe he is destined to be glum. His attitude and outlook on life changes when an unknown fish comes along and gets him to realize he can put other expressions on his face and he can change his outlook on life.

The Pout-Pout Fish is a great book to base a Kindergarten timeline lesson around. After reading the book to the class, I would draw four boxes on the whiteboard titling them "First", "Next", "Then", and "Last". As a class we would decide what came first, next, then, and last. I would write one sentence in each box according to their suggestions. Next I would pass out a worksheet with four boxes and have the students write the titles (first, next, then, last) at the top of each box then draw a picture to accompany our sentences we created together. 

Awards: 2009 Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year, Missouri Building Block Picture Book Award, Colorado Children's Book Award Master List