Bret

Bret's Book Selections


 * 1) 1 Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathman

The book is about a zoo keeper that is saying goodnight to the animals one by one. but one animal, the gorilla, is letting animals out as each animal is visited. This would be a good book for preschool aged kids, possibly kindergarten. Animals are named, making the story good for an animal related lesson or unit. Words could be sounded out and phonetically broken down for practice of pronunciation. This would be a great book for ESL students. The Illustration was simple and fun. There was not an overwhelming amount of text per page, making it a quick moving story that would hold the attention of children.


 * 1) 2 The Emperor Penguin's New Clothes by Janet Perlman

The story is about a vain penguin Emperor who finds his worth in his clothes. Two con artists trick him into thinking that they can make clothes only to be seen by honest eyes, and the dishonest see nothing. The emporor does not see the clothes but then fears that everyone else does and out of fear for being viewed as dishonest, he parades around the city wearing nothing. He thinks that everyone is seeing magnificent clothing when really he is wearing nothing. This would be a great story to communicate the importance of not being concerned with your posessions and what others think of you. This is a funny story that children would be able to be taught a moral lesson as well as read for enjoyment.


 * 1) 3 The counting Race by Margaret McNamara

This story is about a first grade class trying to count to ten in one second. the student's quickly learn that they can not do it on their own. The class works together and shouts out numbers all at once, completing the challenge. This story would be a great interdisciplinary as well as an anticipatory set for a math lesson. This story could also be used to teach the moral lesson of the importance of teammwork. This story has a classroom setting, which would be good for students to read about a classroom where students are eager to learn and working together.


 * 1) 4 The cat family takes a trip by Richard Scarry

The story utilized personification by giving cats, dogs, and pigs human characteristics. A family on a trip is followed along and different aspects of their travels are analyzed. Pictures of people, objects, structures, and more are labeled with words that portray the picture. This would be a great book for young children just learning a number of simple vocabulary words. The story would also be good for ESL students because of all the different pictures and words that are presented. The pictures are very recognizable and numerous to each page, making the story very content rich.


 * 1) 5 Dot & Jabber and the Great Acorn Mystery. by Ellen Stollwalsh

This is a cute story that would be a great anticapatory set for a science lesson. The detective, mystery solving mindset of these two curious mice would for a unit theme. A discovery theme could be taken on, students are detectives trying to figure out different mysteries found in science like: how acorn seeds get planted, how plants grow, why we need oxygen, and etc. The literature is full of dialogue, making the reading fun because different impersonations and voices could be incorporated to make the story even more entertaining!


 * 1) 6 Froggy's Day With Dad. by Jonathon London

This is a great story to be used for teaching cultural norms as well as the importance of the respect for student's fathers. The story is about a Frog that spends his whole day with his father because it is Father's day. This would be a good opportunity to teach children about the importance of quality time spent with family and friends. Quality time is a love language and many students probably don't realize how much their parents appreciate spending time with them.


 * 1) 7 Jonah and the Whale. Retold by Heather Amery

This is a great Bible story to be told. Jonah and the Whale is simple and a great way to teach God's omnipresence as Jonah tries to escape God. It is also very fun because Jonah gets swallowed by a fish, this would spark my imagination as a youngster! The story is drastically summarized and is a very simple read. It would be a great story to ask comprehension questions over. A pre-reading, during, and after reading activity would be fun to apply to this story!


 * 1) 8 Itchy, Itchy Chicken Pox by Grace Maccarone

A great story to use to teach the concept of rhyming. It is about a child who gets Chicken Pox and describes all the different difficulties that come with this sickness. The story would be good to tell to youngsters who may get Chicken Pox, as it would be a good informative for them to learn from. The pictures aren't very detailed and there is a lot of them per page so I think it would keep student's attention.


 * 1) 9 The Day I Had to Play with My Sister by crosby Bonsal

The story is about a boy who atttempts to teach his sister how to play hide and seek. The best aspect of the story is the illustration. It is simple and dull but very detailed. There isn't color used for the skin of the people, making it unique. The story doesn't end favorably in my opinion. The boy decides to give up on his sister and not play with her. This story could still be used to teach a moral lesson by identifying the brother's character as rude and that it is fun to play with our siblings.


 * 1) 10 Peanut by Heidi Kilgras

The story is about a dog named Peanut. This story would be good for a prescchool class. It is fun read. Although there is not a lot of practical application, that is okay because students have constant instruction in practical things and reading can be done simply for the fantasy and enjoyment. Fantasy and imaginative stories might spark the desire for student's to read outside of school!


 * 1) 11 The Seals on the Bus by Lenny Hort

This story incorporates onomonopia and would be fun to use as an interactive story in which the students make noises along with the story. The pictures are very bubbly and large. This would be a great book for a unit involving animals. The story is simple and would be a great way to start a reading lesson because it is fun.


 * 1) 12 Bread and Jam for Francis by Russel Hoban

This story is about a bear named Francis that likes to eat bread and jam for every meal. There is a lot of text per page. It is not the simplest read so it would be better for students of a higher reading level than what would typically be expected for a picture book reader. The story is filled with conversation, so it would be fun to use different impersonations for. The story would be great for convergent and divergent questioning as well as teaching the value in trying new things, as Francis discovers that he likes foods other than bread and jam. This could be a good story for teaching the value of a balanced nutrition.


 * 1) 13 The Riddle Book by Roy Mckie

This book is comprised of a bunch of different questions or riddles asked and then answered. An example would be, "what has four legs but can't walk?" The answer is "a table." This would be a fun book to use to interact with children. Children could work in groups and try to figure out the answers to the riddles. This book causes children to think outside of the box and forces the use of comprehension skills.


 * 1) 14 Tina's Taxi by Betsy France

This is a abook about a woman named Tina who drives a taxi cab. All her daily activities and responsibilities are illustrated through out the book. The story goes through the days of the week. Each day Tina does something new. this would be a good book for primary grades or maybe inner city kids who interact with urban life and traffic. It would also be a good informative story for children who grew up in rural areas.


 * 1) 15 What is Valentines Day? by: Harriet Ziefert

This is a story about a little mouse who is assigned to make cards for peope she cares about. She makes a card for her friends, pet, parents, and the teacher. This could be a great book to be used for a lesson on gestures of appreciation and the importance of communicating thankfulness to others.This would be a great social studies book because it informs students of orthodox cultural and holiday practices in the United States.


 * 1) 16 Alexander and the Terible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day by Judith Vierst

This book is about a boy named Alexander, who has a bad day. Various things happens to him that are not favorable for a normal day. In one instance Alexander is scolded for retaliating for mistreatment from his brother, while his brother gets away without being rebuked. Alexander thinks that the best response to this bad day is to move to Australia. The book concludes with Alexander's mother telling him that some days are going to bad, even if you live in Australia. The moral lesson from this book is really great. Running away from your problems doesn't solve them, and neither does putting them off until a later date.


 * 1) 17 A Million Dots By Andrew Clements

This story lists a number of interesting facts like "the circumference of the earth is 24,901 miles. The facts presented are all quantitative and each factual number is added to the next until 1 million is reached. With all the different interesting facts, this book could be a great anticapatory set for a lesson, perhaps a science lesson.


 * 1) 18 Happy Birthday to You by Dr. Seuss

This is a very inmaginative book about a place called Katroo. A Birthday honk-hearer hikes high up Mr. Zorn and sound the alert when it is someones birthday. This signas the "Great Birthday Bird" who takes you and does fun special things for you since it is your birthday. The story is constantly rhyming. and is fun to read to due to many of its clever lines.


 * 1) 19 What's Smaller Than A Pygmy Shrew? by Robert E. Wells

This story would be a great anticipatory set for a science lesson! The story is about a Shrew that identifies things that are smaller than itself. It then describes the atom in detail, labeling the parts of the atom. Protons, neutrons, electrons and the nucleus are all parts of the atom that are described in detail in the story. The shrew goes on to speak of the planets and stars and how they are different.


 * 1) 20 Dinosaurs by Kathleen N. Daly

This is an informative story that describes different dinosaurs. The story goes through two legged, four legged, winges, and water dinosaurs. Shapes and sizes are all given of different dinosaurs, making this a good book for an adjectives lesson. A brief history of the discovery and archaeology is given at the beginning of the book. The life of a dinosaur is portrayed through the environment depicted in illustrations and the different food choices that different dinosaurs choose to consume.


 * 1) 21 More Bugs in Boxes by David A. Carter

This is a fun pop-up book that involves bugs. On each page there is a different colored box that has a bug that pops out of the box when you open the box. This book has many adjectives like big, small, bright, and dark. This would be a great book for an adjectives lesson that would be entertaining for children to read on their own as they make bugs pop-up out of boxes. The text on each page is very large and simple making it an easy read. Also there is text on the inside of the box that is flipped to reveal the bug that is inside.


 * 1) 1 Romeo and Juliet, Manga Shakespeare (young adult #1, graphic novel)

Romeo is a Montague, which is a family name, and is heart broken from a recent love affair. Juliet is of the capulet family and is pressured to be married by her parents. the two families, Montague and Capulet, do not get along and members of the two familiy do not intermingle unless to engage in violence toward the other. Romeo goes to a Capulet party with his friends to help him get over his emotional upheaval and he meets Juliet. They fall in love and are torn between honor their families wishes and being together. Romeo kills Tybalt (Juliet's cousin) because Tybalt killed his friend Mercutio. As a result, Romeo is banished. Juliet is to wed Paris, a wealthy Capulet. Juliet does not love him and with the help of the friar, acquires a potion that will put her to sleep for 42 hours and make he appear dead. Romeo will be informed and will run away with her when she awakes. Romeo was not informed of the plan and thought Juliet to be dead so he killed himself. The illustration along with the text of this story really help to bring understaniding to the language and meaning to be derive from various dialogues. Visuals help me to comprehend abstract concepts and so I really liked this genre of liturature.

//Requiem poems of the Rerezin Ghetto// by: Paul B. Janeczko (Young adult #2 poetry)

This book is a compilation of different pieces of poetry written from perspectives of soldiers, Nazi enthusiast, and Jews that were incarcerated into concentration camps. Imagery involving snow, death, and trains being cattle cars were common amongst most of the writings. There were a couple of poems that specifically stuck out to me. The first was about bugs and how they would lay eggs in your skin, one could itch to relieve but then blood would stain the sheets so it was better to refrain from itching. The second poem was from the perspective of a person in charge of cremation of deceased Jews. He�s tone was so heartless as he described the process, and in conclusion he laments over the cremation chamber not because of its nefarious use but because it used to be a brewery, �we all must sacrifice� concludes the author.

//Billy Graham The Great Evangelist// By Sam Wellman (Young adult #3 Biography)

Billy Graham "preached face-to-face to more people ever in history." This was an amazing story of Graham's life and the impact he has had on ministry to not only the United States, but the world. As a boy he was disobedient but had a charm that was very attractive to others. He's natural speaking ability was evident at an early age, but was not developed into affective for ministry until his school experience post secondary. He first attended a college in Florida, but transfered to Wheaton in Chicago to finish his schooling. His impact speaking and carisma quickly launched him into mass ministry, eventually leading to evangilishm to many countries. Graham lead evangelistic crusades were crowds of fifty thousand and more were being preached to. He eventually had a radio station, school dedicated to preparing future evangelistic leaders. Graham lead crusades into Germany, Africa, Russia, Asia, and more. He is said to have truly fulfilled the Great Commision.

//Hurricane Dancers// by Margarita Engle (intermediate #1)

The writing style of the story is a journal account from all of the main characters. A slave to a pirate is the main character of the story. The boy is on a ship that later becomes shipwrecked. The pirate (captain of the ship) had a prisoner on board who was a Spanish conquistador and a brutal killer. The story is a historical fiction. The ship that the boy, the pirate, and the hostage are on is wrecked in a hurrican off the coast of the new worlds or Cuba. the slave boy is able to speak a little of the language of the natives because his mother was a native who had died of disease. There is also a love story that is told along with the journeys of the three main characters. A native girl falls in love with a native fisherman, but their love is forbidden by her father. She runs away with him. This is a true, love story that has been documented and referenced to be proven. The author has ancestory that connects here to indigenous Cubans of the sixteenth and and seventeenth century. Motiviating her to write this story.

//Atticus of Rome// by Barry Denenberg (intermediate #2)

Atticus is a boy who was enslaved after his home was destroyed by Roman soldiers.The boy is bought by a wealthy Roman Aristocrat. Lucius Optimus takes care of the boy, and sees he is educated. There is a conspiracy against the Emperor in Rome, but the criminals were caught before completing the assassination. The arena games still take place, regardless of the assassination attempt. These arena games involve gladiators fighting to the death. One gladiator is later found out to be Atticus's father and so his life is spared because Optimus honors Atticus's request to let him life. Optimus is assassinated as a means of political dismantlement. Optimus leaves his fortune to Attitus and his last wish is that he be set free. Good book for intermediate level readers as its literary style consists of being very well worded in descriptions that are given.

//The Magician's Nephew// By C.S. Lewis (intermediate #3)

This is the first, technically speaking, book of the //Chronicles of Narnia// series. A boy named Digory meets a girl named Polly. Digory is in London because his mother is sick and so he an his mother are staying with his aunt. Digory and Polly were exploring when they stumbled into Mr. Kettley's study. Mr. Kettley tricked Polly into going into putting on a magical ring causing her to vanish into another world. Digory goes after her and they discover another world with an evil queen. Digory awoke the evil queen and when they tried to leave her they accidentally brought her with them into the real world. In an attempt to take her back they found themselves in a new world just being formed by a lion named Azlan. While in this newly formed world Digory gets an apple that can be used to heal his mother and returns to administer the remedy. He plants the apple core and it turns into a tree that is later made into a wardrobe. This wardrobe is the portal that is used between Narnia and here. The rest of the //Narnia// series operates around this wardrobe. I really liked this book and cannot believe that I had not read it when I was younger. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes are dislikes reading as it is an easy read and very entertaining.

//A Wrinkle in Time// by: Madeleine L'Engle (intermediate #4)

This was such a great book! The story is about a girl named Megan who is searching for her father. She along with her little brother Charles Wallace and friend Calvin learn that they can travel through the fifth dimension to other galaxies. With the help of Mrs. Who, Mrs. Which, and Mrs. Whatsit they travel to Camazotz, the planet where they're father is. This planet is surrounded by the "dark thing" which means it has been completely overcomb by evil. Megan saves her father as well as Charles Wallace as he is captured by the IT (a brain that takes control of your mind). Love is the ending moral of the story, love conqures evil. This story would be very good for middle school age students. There are so many unique words that are used as well as quotes from many famous people throughout history.

//Night of the Living Gerbil// by: Elizabeth Levy (intermediate #5)

This is a book about two brothers that have two gerbils, one named Exterminator and the other Terminator. Exterminator looked sickly and so the brothers (Sam and Robert) along with their mother took the gerbil to the vet. The vet said that it didn't look good and that they should leave the gerbil there for the night. On the way home they stopped at Weird Science, a store full of stuffed animals that were once alive. The next day the boys were called by the vet and informed that the gerbil was deceased. In order to make Robert feel better, Sam took the gerbil to Weird Science to have the taxidermist stuff Exterminator. Mr. Winston, the taxidermist was a weird man and the boys started to think he might be a zombie. When the gerbil was returned to the boys it was stuffed in a terrifying position that made it look like a zombie gerbil! The boys later discovered that Mr. Winston was not a zombie and that the gerbil was just stuffed. This was a funny book and would be an enjoyable read for upper elementary students.

//Elmer and the Dragon by:// Ruth Stiles Gannett (intermediate #6)

This is a very imaginative story about a boy named Elmer Elevator and a baby dragon. Elmer saves the dragon who is hurt and stranded on Wild Island. The dragon is greatful and in return will fly Elmer home to Nevergreen City. On the way there was a storm and they got lost. The dragon was fatigued and landed just on the shore of a mysterious island. The Island was called Feather Island. On this island there were canaries and they were dying from the deadly disease of "curiosity." The King Canary was curious of what was in the treasure chest that was buried by the original settlers that had brought the canaries there. The other canaries were curious of what the King Canary was curious of, inflicting all of the canaries with the disease of curiosity. Elmer and the dragon dug up the treasure and revealed its contents, curing the canaries of the disease of Curiosity. The dragon flew the boy back home, concluding the story. This was a fun and easy read that was adventureous and imaginative, a sure read to keep readers intently engaged.