The Three Little Gators - Blog 6

The Three Little Gators by Helen Ketteman is a  fractured fairy tale of the traditional Three Little Pigs. In this version, three gators leave their mother and set out on their own in an east Texas swamp. Before leaving, Mama warns them to build houses strong enough to keep Big-bottomed Boar away. The first gator chooses rocks, the second sticks and the lazy third gator chooses a house of sand, after commenting on the amount of work for the other two. Soon, Big-bottomed Boar announces his arrival at the third gator’s sand house and by wiggling his rump with a bump, bump, bump, he knocks the house down. The second gator’s house of sticks is knocked down in the same manner. Knowing the danger they are in, the second and third gators rush to their brother’s house that was made of rocks. After unsuccessfully trying to knock the house down with his rump, Big-bottomed Boar squeezes down the chimney right on top of the hot grate on the barbecue grill. With grill stripes burned into his rump, Big-bottomed Boar never bothered the gators again.

The Three Little Gators is a Folklore because it's from a traditional story but also Fantasy because no gator is going to go build a house out of rocks, sticks, and sand. This book falls under primary for first and second graders. The illustrations are amazing. It looks as if they used water color mixed with paint. The illustrator made the eyes on the gators very large giving them lots of expression. He shows the hog breathing heavy by light lines coming out of the nose and mouth almost like air. 

Motivational Activities - 

1.)  I would have the kids compare The Three Little Pigs to The Three Little Gators by having them draw the different houses they make.

2.) I would have them draw the kind of house they would make if they were a little gator

Questions - 

1.) Can a gator really make a house out of sand?

2.) Do hogs like to eat gators?

3.) What was the house made out of that saved the little gators?

I didn't know they had this fractured version till I was looking around in the library. I thought it was too cute for many reason. One being it's about gators and of course I'm a Florida Gator! Go Gators! I also thought it was funny some of the wording that was used by the hog -  "Then I'll wiggle my rump with a bump, bump, bump and smash your house!" (Ketteman, 2009) Super cute! 

Ketteman, H.(2009). The Three Little Gators. Morton Grove, IL: Albert Whitman & Company

Galda, L. Cullinan,  B. E., & Sipe, L.R. (2010). Literature and the Child (7th ed.) Belmont, CA: Wadsworths, Inc.

PEANUT - Blog 5

I just read PEANUT by Linas Alsenas. This book is about a lonely old lady named, Mildred who was sitting on a bench one day and finds a stray. She decides to take it home. The stray won't eat dog food or bones, he only like peanuts. So that's what she names him. He helps her around the house and is a great couch warmer. When Mildred takes Peanut for a walk in the park, she notices that he is not like the other pets. He didn't act like the other dogs either. Maybe that's because he's an elephant! One day a man from the circus stops Mildred in the park and says "Madam, you have found our missing elephant" (Alsenas, 2007) Mildred quickly goes back to being lonely even though she visits Peanut at the circus, it isn't the same.Then one day she found another stray while sitting on the bench. 

PEANUT falls into the Fantasy genre. The places in the book exist but Mildred having Peanut as a pet could not happen.  The illustrations were very detailed using color pencils with highlights and shadows to bring out parts in the characters The facial expressions on Mildred and Peanuts face are priceless. 

For motivational activities I would: 1.) Teach the kids about the circus and the different animals that travel with them. I would have them color each one while writing out the name since this book is for the primary level (kindergarten). 2.) I would have the kids tell me in a discussion what kid of animal they would like to have as a pet. 

Some quetions I would ask while reading to the kids would be: 1.) Is an elephant a dog and does it eat dog food? 2,) What kind of food does it eat? 3.) What animal does Mildred this is a kitten?

This book was an easy read considering the grade level but I really thought it was cute. I can totally see an old lady treating any animal as a child.  

Alsenas, L. (2007). PEANUT. New York, NY: Scholastic  

 Galda, L. Cullinan,  B. E., & Sipe, L.R. (2010). Literature and the Child (7th ed.) Belmont, CA: Wadsworths, Inc.

Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins - Blog 4

I just read Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins by Eric Kimmel.

Hershel of Ostropol wanders into the village on the first night of Hanukkah looking forward to celebrating the holiday. He finds out the villagers have been forbidden from celebrating Hanukkah by the goblins that haunt the old synagogue at the top of the hill. Hershel goes to the top of the hill to the synagogue to over power the goblins by lighting a candle in the menorah each day for 8 nights to break the spell of the goblins. On the eighth night, he outwitted the king of the goblins by tricking him into lighting all the candles himself and breaking the goblins power.Now everyone in the village can celebrate the last night of Hanukkah thanks to Hershel.

Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins falls into the Folklore genre. It is a traditional story talking about Hanukkah but is a myth with the goblins that Hershel has to beat. Hershel is clever and very brave.  The illustrations are watercolor with a very dark setting considering that it all takes place at night. There is lots of detail in every picture. This book also won the Caldecott Honor award!

Some motivational activities I would do is: 1.) Have the kids make a menorah after we talk about the Jewish holiday. 2.) I would have the kids come up with another way to trick a goblin and write about it in their journal.

As I read the book out load to the kids, I would ask questions: 1.) What is a synagogue and how is used? 2.) Why is there 8 days of Hanukkah?

I really enjoyed reading this book even though it's September. I loved the illustrations of the goblins and how he used eggs and pickles to out smart the goblins. It's a must read! :-)

Galda, L. Cullinan,  B. E., & Sipe, L.R. (2010). Literature and the Child (7th ed.) Belmont, CA: Wadsworths, Inc.

Kimmel, E. (1990). Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins. New York, NY: Scholastic


 

Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus - Blog 3

Today I read Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus by Barbara Park. This chapter book is about Junie B and her first time going to kindergarten on the school bus.

Starting kindergarten doesn't make Junie B. Jones nervous — but riding the bus is another story. She thinks the bus smells like egg salad and black smoke, has screechy brakes and no glove compartment for Kleenex, and is filled with pushy boys and girls. Rather than ride home in the bus, Junie decides to hide in a classroom closet. After that, she roams through several rooms trying out various school supplies and equipment in the nurse's office. Finally, her mom, teacher and others find her, and Junie's mother arranges for Junie to sit with a girl from her class on the next day's bus ride.

Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus falls into the Contemporary Realistic Fiction. Her storie about the five year old, Junie B., could happen in the real world to any child and it just seems real to you while reading it. The illustrations are pencil draws (black & white) that give lots of character to the story while you're reading this chapter book. There are not a lot of pictures - just a couple when they want to express an issue. 

Some motivational activities I would have my kids do would be 1.) Make a dictionary worksheet. I would have the kids look up 8 words from the book that they heard and didn't know  in the dictionary and write their meanings. This would help to grow their vocabulary. 2.) I would have the kids write their first experience on a school bus and how they felt then share it to the class. 

At the end of the book I would ask my kids 1.) What happens when you make judgments about people before getting to know them? 2.)   Why is it important not to touch things that don't belong to you? 

I have heard of the Junie B. Jones series but never read one till now. I found this one to be very cute. I really liked how Barbara Park made it sound like Junie B. was really a five year old with her vocabulary and thoughts that she had throughout the book. One example - "The bus made a big roar. Then a big puff of black smelly smoke came out the back end of it. It's called bus breath, I think." This statement in the book really made me laugh. I will defiantly have this set in my classroom for kids to read. 

Galda, L., Cullinan, B. E., & Sipe, L. R. (2010). Literature and the child (7th ed.). Belmont, CA:
Wadsworths, Inc

Park, B., (1992). Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus. United States: Random House, Inc

Owen & Mzee - Blog 2

This week I read Owen & Mzee by Isabella Hatkoff, Craig Hatkoff, and Dr. Paula Kahumbu. This trade book is about a hippo named Owen and a aldabra tortoises named Mzee. Owen was found stranded the day after the devastating tsunami that occurred in the eastern Indian Ocean on December 26, 2004. He was named after, Owen Sobien,  the guy that took him down so the recuse crew could load him in the truck and take him to a safe place. Isabella, Craig, and Dr. Paula worked for the Haller Park (an animal sanctuary) where they offered Owen a place to live. When they unloaded him at Haller Park into Mzee's enclosure, Owen took to Mzee. Mzee was not happy about the attention and hissed at Own. After a couple of the days the two ended up building an amazingly strong bond. They were inseparable. They ate together, swam together, and slept next to each other.

Owen & Mzee is a Nonfiction book. It is a true story with real pictures and information about Owen and the tsunami in 2004. It give facts that sum up the events and what ended up happening to Owens life after. The illustrations in this book are real and were taken of Owen & Mzee over a period of time. I think it adds to the book and makes you want to keep reading to see more pictures.

Some motivational activities I would do would be have the kids color a map of Africa. Mark where Owen was found and where he is now. Talk about what is a tsunami and how is it cause. I would also go over the main animals in Africa. Let them color a tortoises and hippo and write facts about them. When I was done reading Owen & Mzee I would ask the kids some questions. 1.) Where do hippo's live primarily? 2.)How big can they get? 3.) Does tortoises like being alone or with others of his kind?

I really enjoyed this book. It's very cute and hard to believe that a tortoises and hippo end up bonding the way they do. I really enjoyed seeing the pictures to go with the story.

Galda, L., Cullinan, B. E., & Sipe, L. R. (2010). Literature and the child (7th ed.). Belmont, CA:
Wadsworths, Inc

Hatkoff, I., Hatkoff, C., & Kahumbu, P. (2006). Owen & Mzee. Turtle Pond Publications LLC 

Daisy Comes Home - Blog 1

Daisy Comes Home by Jan Brett is about a girl name Mel Mel who has 6 happy hens in China. She took good care of her hens by giving them fresh hay, baths, and when she calls to them, Gu-gu-gu-gu-gu! they all run to her as fast as they can. One of her hens, Daisy, was the smallest and the other hens used to pick on her. One night, Daisy was asleep in a basket when it drifted out onto the river. She woke up facing a barking dog, and she was suddenly fighting to get away. She traveled some more to a buffalo taking a morning drink and once again flapped her wings to get away. Next, she traveled into a troop of red-tailed monkeys where she flapped and pecked, nipped and squawked to get away. As she continued to float down the river she ran into a fisherman who decided to take her to the market to sell. Mel Mel so sad about Daisy being gone heard from a boy at the market that the fisherman was selling her. She ran down to the fisherman and called Gu-gu-gu-gu to Daisy who busted out of the net and came running to her as fast as she can. Mel Mel picked her up and ran home. That night Daisy used what she learned on her travels down the river and fought back the other hens and was happy once again.

This trade book is a multicultural folktale. There is some make-believe parts but for most of the book its logical and even realistic.

Some motivational activities you can do with this book is communication activities - talk about the market in China and how it works. How a hen farm is set-up and what they are good for. How when you go on an adventure you can learn new and positive things to help you later in life.

I thought this was a very good book and really enjoyed it. I liked how in the top and bottom parts of the book it always showed a picture of what you read and what was next to come.