There Was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight

We've all heard enough of the old lady who swallowed, well, everything! That, however, was before I found There Was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight (2015) written by Penny Parker Klostermann and illustrated by Ben Mantle. While the premise of the book follows a well used writing formula, the illustrations and the changes the author makes to that formula (plus a fun twist at the end!) give There Was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight a fresh feel. As a well read reader, I was delightfully surprised with the ending.


There Was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight is a fun science fiction picture book about a dragon. The dragon just happens to be hungry and eats a knight. Then the dragon has to take care of the knight's horse. And then... Well, then he goes on to swallow a squire, a cook, a lady (princess, perhaps?), a castle and a moat. All the dragon really wanted, though, was the knight! So he takes matters into his own hand and rectifies the situation in an unusual manner.

I may be reading this fun story soon to my own class of kindergartners. This would be an excellent picture book to introduce cause and effect since it tells us why he ate the horse and all the other things he ate. There Was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight would also be a great story to use to work on sequencing. A picture chart would probably be a fun activity for my kindergartners, placing the pictures of eaten 'items' in the order of when they got eaten!

I highly suggest this fun read. When you do read it, be sure to share it with your own young students!

Wonder

Every once and again, you read something that simply casts a spell over you, enchants you and leaves Wonder (2012) by R.J. Palacio did just that. Told from different perspectives throughout the story, Wonder is a tale of ugliness and beauty, as well as hatred and kindness all woven into a compelling thread that has you hanging on until the end.

Wonder is the story of a special young boy who is not only going into middle school, but going into public school for the first time after being home schooled for four years. August, the special young boy, suffers from a rare, genetic disorder that has grossly misshapen his facial features. As Wonder chronicles August's fifth grade year, it does so from a myriad of perspectives. Each perspective is told from a narrative point of view, and hence shows each character's personal eccentricities. Justin, Via's boyfriend, utilizes very few uppercase letters in his narrative. He always uses "i" when referring to himself.

Though unsuitable for younger students, Wonder would be an ideal text for older students in fourth through sixth grades. This would be a great book to use to try to get students "hooked" on reading. One way a book can take hold is through the reader making personal connections with the text.
Wonder covers numerous issues that face students daily. And it covers these issues from both a male and female perspective!

While Wonder could easily be used for a timeline project, I would much rather do a character study with the book. I would break my students up into groups and each group would be looking at each character. They would tell me everything they know about that character judging from how that character tells his side of the story, as well as what other characters say about him or her. Characters could easily be compared and contrasted using Venn diagrams.

No matter what you plan to do with this book, Wonder should be a permanent fixture in any classroom library. I'll be getting mine soon!

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Looking for a powerful and uplifting children's novel to read? You might want to try Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (2009) by Grace Lin. This Newberry Honor Award winning book takes the reader on an arduous journey across China from the Valley of Fruitless Mountain to the Never-Ending Mountain where the Old Man of the Moon resides.

The story itself is about Minli, who lives in the Valley of Fruitless Mountain, and her journey. Growing up listening her father's stories of grand ancient wonders, Minli sets off to find the Old Man of the Moon in order to "fix" Fruitless Mountain, as well as her home. The mountain and the valley she lives in have been besieged with bad luck. Along the way, she gets advice from a goldfish, befriends a flightless dragon and faces an evil tiger. There are other friends she makes and hurtles she overcomes in order to help her village. All along the way, she steadfastly adheres to her beliefs in the seemingly-fanciful stories her father has told her.

A solid piece of work, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon takes the reader on quite a roller coaster as we come along on the Minli's amazing journey. It includes some exciting events to keep a younger audience hooked, while providing some important messages along the way. Throughout the book, Minli's determination and persistence help her to persevere. Her willingness to be open-minded with those she meets along the way help her when the going gets rough.

While I would not recommend this for my kindergartners, I would highly recommend it for fourth and fifth grade students. A timeline activity of the events in the book with sticky notes would help these upper grade students to understand the book and get more out of it. I could also see us doing anchor charts that compare and contrast different character's traits, both human and non-human.

This book could easily be used for numerous different lessons. Regardless, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon should have a home in every teachers' classroom library!

Museum Trip

Where does one even begin to describe Museum Trip (2006) by Barbara Lehman? I could begin with the end, when I felt a sense of satisfaction for the young boy's achievement. Perhaps I could begin with the beginning, where we see the main character getting on a bus with his classmates for a field trip to the museum. Where ever one could start, Museum Trip is an intriguing story of a young boy's trip to a museum with his classmates.

Once at the museum, the young student falls behind when he stops to tie a loose shoelace. While looking for his class, he steps into an unlabeled room, where he finds several small mazes. He manages to jump into the mazes and make his way through all of them, stepping into an unmarked door in the last one where he receives an honor of some kind. The medal is interesting, as another one just like it appears in a most unlikely place at the end.

Throughout the story, the author uses different types of framing. The framing techniques help to convey the young boy's emotions. No where is this more apparent than on the page where he realizes he's alone. The author couples demand (the young boy staring at the reader) with no frame or background. The reader can't help but feel the young boy's momentary panic.

Museum Trip was simply a fun read. I feel certain my kindergartners will enjoy this wordless picture book. We will have fun analyzing the book as we stop and I ask my students what they see and notice, what's the same and what has changed. Also, all along the way, I'll ask, "How do you think he feels now?" I'll also ask them why they think he feels the way he does.

No!

No! (2009) by David McPhail is a powerfully written wordless picture book for children. It's a statement about how violent our world is and how, in order to change it, we must each stand up for what's right, beginning with the youngest child.

In the story, a young boy has written a letter to the president of his country. He witnesses several scenes of violence on his way to the mail drop. Upon arriving at the mail drop, our young character is confronted with a bully who is ready to beat him up for no apparent reason. The main character stands up to the bully. He says, "NO!" His simple one word message starts the world moving in a better direction, so to speak, and our young character sees a much different world on his walk home.

The framing for this story is interesting in that the only scenes that are not framed are those scenes that depict violence inflicted upon the character by the bully. The scene where he tells the bully a loud, clear, confident "NO!" seems to jump off the page because the author doesn't even shade the background of that particular scene.

While No! would be a great book for my kindergartners any time throughout the year, I feel like it would be particularly suited for the beginning of the year. Without giving away too much, the end of the story deals with rules. This would be an excellent springboard into class rules. It would also be a great teaching point on dealing with bullies. I would love to ask my students how else are young character could have dealt with the bully and, if he had, how might it change the outcome of the book?

Chalk

 What happens when three kids come across a bag of "magic" chalk on a playground on a rainy day? You'll have to read Chalk (2010) by David Thomson in order to find out!

While Chalk is a wordless children's picture book, the story line itself weaves a spell on the reader. Three children just happen upon a playground during a nasty, rainy day. They find a bag of chalk hanging from the mouth of a dinosaur-shaped seesaw. As they start playing, their chalk drawings come to life. All is fun until one draws a dinosaur which terrorizes the children!

The book cover features "demand" prominently, as the dinosaur toy holding the bag of chalk looks straight at you, as though challenging you to take the magic chalk back from his big, plastic mouth. Each page image shows the action and completely lacks framing, meaning the illustrations cover the entire page. The author uses some framing carefully, depicting only individual characters within the frames to give the reader a window into that character's thoughts. You know the boy in the yellow slicker is up to no good by the close up, framed view of his face as he pulls the green chalk stick from the bag.

I loved this book! I will most likely be using it with my kindergartners very soon. The images lend easily to questions like "What does that look on her/his face look like?" "What is she/he thinking?" "What will she/he draw?" and "How will they get out of this mess?" We would also go through the story, deciding and making a list of what is real and what is not real.

Regardless, Chalk is a wordless picturebook that will be a permanent part of my classroom library soon!

Light in the Darkness

Imagine wanting to learn to read, but knowing you're going to be punished if you get caught trying to learn. That's exactly what Rosa has to live with in the book Light in the Darkness: A Story About How Slaves Learned in Secret (2013). Written by Lesa Cline-Ransome and illustrated by James E. Ransome, the picture book Light in the Darkness, takes an honest look at how slaves had to learn in secret.

This story really tugged at my heart. As a Quaker, my ancestors played an integral part in the Underground Railroad and the education of slaves. As a reader, I always enjoy a well written book that utilizes good detail with a strong plot, and couples both with excellent illustrations.

Light in the Darkness tells the story of Rosa, a slave girl, who attends school in secret. The story
takes place over a couple of weeks, giving us a glimpse of the dangers slaves faced. Each time she attends the secret school, she and her classmates have to be extremely quiet, keeping constant vigil for voices or sounds so as not to be caught.

While the story might be a little above my kindergartners, I feel I could have first- through third-graders map the story out through beginning, middle and end. I also feel like a mini-lesson utilizing a timeline, and mapping the story out that way.

Bud, Not Buddy

The book, Bud, Not Buddy (1999) by Christopher Paul Curtis, and I have crossed paths several times in the past. This time, I'm happy to say, I took the time to read this well-written book. Curtis hooked me with the opening line "Here we go again," along with the promise of trouble. It wasn't long before I was cheering for Bud and hoping he finds what he wants.

Bud, Not Buddy is about a young black boy whose mother has passed away. After running away from a foster family, Bud thinks he knows who and where his father is and runs off to find him. Luckily, Bud lives in the north and manages to find help along the way, though the country is in the middle of the Great Depression (1930's).

This chapter book is intended for an older audience. I feel certain that most fourth- and fifth-graders could understand the concepts within the book. Bud faces abandonment issues when his mother dies. He feels the need to belong, hence his search for his father. He also faces potential cultural problems as he traverses the countryside on his own.

The author does a phenomenal job with character development in Bud, Not Buddy. As we read through the book, I would do a "Post-it" lesson with my older students. As they read, place a Post-it note on the page (or two) telling me what they know about Bud and how he's feeling. Once we've completed the book, we can either take the sticky notes and put them on a timeline or on a character anchor chart. If time permits, I'd also like to do a cause and effect anchor chart similarly, and map the book out that way as well.

Henry's Freedom Box

Where does one even begin to describe a book like Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad (2007)? The text, written by Ellen Levine, is masterfully done. The illustrations by Kadir Nelson evoke strong visual emotions. Having never read this classic before, I found myself rooting for Henry, hoping he safely makes it north and finds freedom!

While Henry's Freedom Box is the tale of a singular slave, the story represents the hope and desperation of African-Americans living in the 1800's in the southern United States. In the story, Henry grows up and experiences the harsh life of being a slave. Upon losing his family, Henry comes up with his own plan. He decides to build a box and try to mail himself to freedom. Based on a true story, Henry "Box" Brown did actually mail himself to freedom.

While the concept of slavery may be difficult for young children to understand, Henry's Freedom Box is written simply, plainly and in a way I think kindergartners would understand. Nelson's illustrations support the text, helping younger readers to understand what is happening. This book would be a excellent tool for older children to use to compare and contrast how things use to be to how they are today. I would like to have a mini-lesson citing what's different from then? What's the same?

I also believe it would make an excellent springboard into a discussion on book genre for older students. Well written books like this often make students question how they feel about a particular genre or style.

Busing Brewster

Reading Busing Brewster (2010) by Richard Michelson (and illustrated by R.G. Roth) took me back to a simpler, gentler time. The artfully done images and story at the beginning took me back and culled memories of Bill Cosby's characters of Fat Albert and his gang. The message, however, is anything but heart-warming.

In the story, Brewster and his brother, Bryan, were "force bused" to the closest school, which also happened to be a previously segregated school. In the early 70's, the Supreme Court permitted "forced busing" in order to further integrate schools. While Bryan is pulled from what he knows and is comfortable with, this is all new to Brewster. The two boys and others are not greeted warmly or welcomed at their new school. Bryan protects Brewster the best he can to help his little brother get through his first day of first grade at this new and unusual school.

While my current kindergartners would not get the nuances of the story, I believe first-graders might, but I would suggest second grade and up. I could certainly see using Busing Brewster to raise cultural awareness with students, as well as history, no matter how ugly it may be. While textbooks have their place, stories like this that give children a firm picture of what has happened. Stories give children a real glimpse of life and allow them the chance to feel the fear and anger that was prevalent in our country during this tumultuous time.

Ellen's Broom

Tradition and culture come alive in the story Ellen's Broom (2012). Written by Kelly Starling Lyons and illustrated by Daniel Minter, Ellen's Broom gives us a brief glimpse of a moment in time in Ellen's home. The moment of time is quite significant because it was when former married slaves were recognized "as married in the eyes of the law."

Throughout the story, Ellen's mother recounts how slaves had no elaborate wedding ceremonies, nor did they have any way to show that they were married. Instead, couples would say a few words together, take each others' hands and leap over a broom.

When the family goes to the courthouse to obtain legal proof of marriage, Ellen brings the broom as a reminder of old traditions. Once they reach the courthouse, Ellen adds a new twist to the old tradition, making the moment more special for her parents.

The main problem with the story Ellen's Broom was that I never lost sight of myself as a reader reading a text. The story is historically relevant, teaching the reader about past events and how we, as a nation, changed for the better. It provides the reader brief snapshot of time, when African-Americans were allowed to legally wed and be recognized as such.

One thing I did like about Ellen's Broom was how a majority of the story was carried through the characters' speech to each other. While I most likely would not read this to my kindergartners, I may recommend it to higher grades, like second through fourth grades. It could be a good text to use to compare and contrast the past to the present (the book's present), as well as a jump start for a discussion of how things have changed from the time of the story to today.

Take Away the A

Take away the R and the writer has to write... Okay, while that doesn't really work, author Michael Escoffier and illustrator Kris Di Giacomo DO make it work in their own alphabet picture book titled Take Away the A (2014).

Sure, there are hundreds (probably thousands, or more!) of alphabet picture books out there from which to choose. Escoffier, however, deviates from the usual 'A stands for Apple' format. In fact, no letter stands for anything in Take Away the A. The author, instead, takes each letter away from a word and completely transforms it into another word. As an example, for the letter X Escoffier says, "Without the X, FOXES are FOES."

This cleverly written and illustrated alphabet book does more than teach children the ABC's. It also shows them how they work and how changing one letter in a word can completely change the meaning of the word. By doing this, it introduces some wonderful words into young children's vocabularies, such as foes, faqir and scarf. The poignant illustrations help to make the point as to what happens when you take each letter out of the word in which it is used.

I'm looking forward to reading this one with my own kindergartners. I feel certain that it will garner some discussion as to what changes have taken place, as well as learning some new vocabulary. And learning the alphabet, of course!