Showing posts with label picture books. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

More Best Quotes from Children's Books

Aesop's Fables

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted."

— From "The Lion and the Mouse"

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

“It has been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. My mom says some days are like that."

Charlotte's Web

"'Why did you do all this for me?' he asked. 'I don't deserve it. I've never done anything for you.'

'You have been my friend,' replied Charlotte. 'That in itself is a tremendous thing.'"

The Giving Tree

"'I don't need very much now,' said the boy, 'just a quiet place to sit and rest. I am very tired.'

'Well,' said the tree, straightening herself up as much as she could, "well, an old stump is good for sitting and resting. Come, Boy, sit down. Sit down and rest.'

And the boy did. And the tree was happy."

Love You Forever

"I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be."

Olivia

"When they've finished reading, Olivia's mother gives her a kiss and says, 'You know, you really wear me out. But I love you anyway.'

And Olivia gives her a kiss back and says, 'I love you anyway too.'"

Peter and Wendy

(Also known as Peter Pan or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up.)

"You know that place between sleep and awake, the place where you can still remember dreaming? That's where I’ll always love you. That’s where I’ll be waiting."

Oh, the Places You'll Go!

"You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous an deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left."

The Rainbow Fish

"The Rainbow Fish shared his scales left end right. And the more he gave away, the more delighted he became. When the water around him filled with glimmering scales, he at last felt at home among the other fish."

The Secret Garden

"Where you tend a rose, my lad, a thistle cannot grow."

The Velveteen Rabbit

"'Real isn't how you are made,' said the Skin Horse. 'It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.'"

Where the Wild Things Are

"'Now stop!' Max said and sent the wild things off to bed without their supper. And Max the king of all wild things was lonely and wanted to be where someone loved him best of all."

Winnie-the-Pooh

"'But what I like doing best is Nothing," said Christopher Robin.

'How do you do Nothing?' asked Pooh, after he has wondered for a long time.

'Well, it's when people call out at you just as you're going off to do it, What are you going to do, Christopher Robin, and you say, Oh, nothing, and then you go and do it.'"

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

"Mr. Duncan put the Maggie Pebble in an iron safe. Some day they may want to use it, but really, for now, what more could they wish for? They had all that they wanted."

Frog and Toad are Friends

"Frog said, 'I wrote 'Dear Toad, I am glad that you are my best friend. Your best friend, Frog.'

'Oh,' said Toad, 'that makes a very good letter.'

Then Frog and Toad went out onto the front porch to wait for the mail. They sat there, feeling happy together."

-collection by Redbook magazine

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

TUESDAY: TEACH THE BOOK "THE MYSTERIOUS TADPOLE" BY STEVEN KELLOGG

The Mysterious Tadpole by Steven Kellogg - LESSON PLAN by http://thepicturebookteachersedition.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-mysterious-tadpole-by-steven-kellogg.html

BOOK REVIEW: Uncle McAllister, he always sends Louis the best birthday presents, this year is no exception. Uncle McAllister sent, what everyone thought, was a tadpole to Louis for this years birthday. Louis named his tadpole Alphonse. Alphonse was no ordinary tadpole, he grew, and grew, and grew until he could no longer fit in Louis' apartment. Louis set out in search of help. He needed to get enough money to build Louis a pool. Louis asked the school librarian to help him, and boy did she! Wait till you see where they found the money to make Alphonse's new home!

This is such a fun book, it has been one of my favorites since my girls were babies...even as I worked on this review, both of my girls walked by, saw the book, and both said, "Oh, I love that book!"

I hope you can use the FREE classify and categorize activity I have created to go along with this book.

If you would like to make your own reading skill or strategy lesson with this book here is a list of ideas and questions that might be helpful.

Reading level: 3.2

Theme: friendship

Genre: Fiction

Reading skills and strategies:

asking questions - {possible questions before} Why is the tadpole mysterious? {possible questions during} Why does Alphonse eat cheeseburgers? Why is Alphonse growing so fast? What are they going to do with Alphonse now that he is too big for the apartment? Why was the coach so mad? What is a Loc Ness monster? {possible questions after} What kind of bird was in the egg?
author's point of view - third person point of view
author's purpose - entertain {evidence} The tadpole grew very fast. Alphonse ate cheeseburgers. Alphonse found a treasure chest in the harbor. All of these things are silly, which makes an entertaining story.
beginning, middle, end - {most important event from beginning} Louis got a tadpole from his uncle for his birthday. {most important event from middle} Alphonse grew so fast that he needed a new home. {most important event from end} Alphonse found the treasure to help pay for his new home.
cause and effect - Why did Uncle McAllister send Louis a tadpole? because it was Louis' birthday. Why did the teacher ask Louis to stop bringing Alphonse to school? because she decided that he was no ordinary tadpole. Why did Louis smuggle Alphonse into the school? because he needed Alphonse to live in the school pool. Why was to coach upset and confused? because Alphonse was in the pool. Why did Miss. Seevers drop her purse and books into the pool? because she was so shocked to see Alphonse. Why did Miss. Seevers call Uncle McAllister? because she wanted to find out more about Alphonse. Why does Miss Seevers think Alphonse is a Loc Ness monster? because Alphonse is so big and he was found in the lake Loc Ness. Why does Alphonse need to find the treasure? because they needed the money to buy the parking lot to build Alphonse a pool. Why did Uncle McAllister come to visit Louis? because it was his birthday, again. Why does Louis' parents look so nervous at the end of the book? because they are afraid of what the bird might grow into.
characterization - describe Louis, describe Alphonse, describe Miss. Seevers {looks like, feelings, thoughts, character}
classify & categorize - birthday gifts that your parents would be happy you got and birthday gifts that your parents would not be happy you got.
compare & contrast - your pet to Alphonse
connections - {possible text-to-self connections} getting a pet for a gift.
drawing conclusions & inferencing - How do you think Louis' parents are feeling when the birthday egg cracks open? {text clues} the looks on their faces look like they are worried. Also the tadpole turned out not to be a tadpole but a very big Loc Ness monster. {my conclusion} I think Louis' parents are worried that the bird is going to turn into a very big raptor.
main idea & details - {main idea} {details}
plot - the turning point or climax in the story is when Alphonse gets the treasure chest.
predict - Do you think Alphonse is a tadpole? Do you think Alphonse will get sent to the zoo? Do you think Louis will get into trouble having Alphonse in the school pool? What do you think the swimmers and coach will do when they find Alphonse in the pool? How do you think Miss. Seevers will react when she seed Alphonse? What do you think Miss. Seevers' idea is? Will Alphonse find the treasure? What do you think Uncle McAllister will send Louis this year for his birthday. What kind of bird do you think Uncle McAllister sent?
problem & solution - {problem} Alphonse is getting so big he can't fit anywhere. {solution} Louis wants to buy the parking lot next door to build Alphonse a pool.
sequencing - Uncle McAllister sends Louis a birthday gift. Louis names his tadpole Alphonse. Louis takes Alphonse to school for show and tell. Alphonse starts outgrowing all his homes. The teacher tells Louis that Alphonse can't come to school anymore. Louis takes Alphonse to the school pool. The coach and swimmers see Alphonse and run away from the pool. Louis asks Miss. Seevers to help him. She tells Louis about a treasure chest that no one has found. Alphonse goes into the harbor and finds the treasure chest. Miss. Seevers and Louis have enough money to build Alphonse his pool. All the kids love to swim with Alphonse. It is Louis' birthday again and Uncle McAllister delivers his new present...an egg.
story elements - list title, author, character's, setting, beginning, middle, end, or problem & solution.
summarize - {someone}Louis {wanted} needed to buy the parking lot next door to build Alphonse a pool {but} but they didn't have enough money {so} so he asked Miss. Seevers for help. {then}Miss. Seevers told Louis of a treasure chest that Alphonse found. {finally} They finally had enough money to build Alphonse his pool.

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Lesson Plan for "The Relatives Came" by Cynthia Rylant

Relatives Came, The

by Rylant, Cynthia. Illustrated by Stephen Gammell. Picture Book. Grades 1+.

Review

This is one of my all time favorite books. The illustrations make it soooo much fun to read and look at. The book tells of an old-fashioned family reuinion where relatives came from far across the mountains. They pile into and around the house with love and exuberance. Gammell's illustrations are so full of humor and distinctive characters that it's hard to get around to reading the delightful text.
___________________

Activities

PreK - GRADE 3. QUESTIONING
It appears that the driver of the station wagon isn't very good at it.
Does he damage the car? Who fixes it?
Where is their home?
Where do the relatives live?
GRADE 1 - 3. NUMERATION
Figure out how many people there are. Be careful because some characters appear only once and others are on almost every page.
PreK - GRADE 2. QUESTIONING, GATHERING DATA
Look carefully at the boy in the blue-striped shirt, coming out to greet the people. Now find him on the next page.
What is different about him?
How could that have happened?
Is it an illustrator's mistake?
PreK - GRADE 3. CLASSIFICATION, PATTERN, NUMERATION
Make a chart showing as many different patterns on people's clothing as possible. Make small squares of each kind of pattern, using wrapping paper or wallpaper.
Form groups to find one pattern and post it.
Which patterns are most frequently used?

Patterns - - - - - - Number Found
--------------------------------------------------
Solid Colors
Flowered
Striped
Plaid
Checkered
K - GRADE 3. TIME, ESTIMATION
How far away do you think the relatives lived?
What makes you think so?
Have you ever traveled that long or that far?
Did the relatives stay a long time?
What makes you think so?

By Carol Hurst, thanks Carol for this great lesson plan... revised a bit by me.

Saturday, August 4, 2012

FRIDAY FICTION: "Hip, Hip, Hooray for Annie McRae"

I have been in a writing class for children all week taught by Brad Wilcox. It has been so enlightening. Brad is an educator, speaker and author, mostly of books for adults and teens. He writes books that inspire and more recently wrote a text called "Developing Literacy" - Reading and Writing To, With, and By Children. It's phenomenal. Our class got the first copies of the text, hot off the press.

Brad did write one picture book for children. It's not in print any more, but that's unfortunate, because the message is so important, that we must cheer for ourselves, be our own cheerleaders. Approval comes from within and although we all want and even seek other's praise and approval, it's not a need, just a want. If you have a chance to pick up this book on Amazon, go for it. It's a perfect book that teaches a life skill even many adults still need to acquire, myself included at times. Thanks Brad!!! Ages 4-10

Friday, August 3, 2012

THURSDAY - Themes to Grow On - "Bugs"

Bugs

They are creepy, crawly, squirmy, wiggly and are sometimes slimy. There are millions more than us humans. They’re often scary or weird looking. What am I talking about? Bugs! Read about these sometimes loved and sometimes hated creatures and learn more about them as they slip onto the pages of these "buggy" books. Recommended below by Amazon and Reading Rockets, for children ages 0-9.

Publication Date: September 18, 2008 | Age Level: 2 and up

Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar is now available in a limited, oversized hardcover edition, along with many other variations and editions. Did you know that this book sells 1 copy every 30 seconds, somewhere in the world? WOW!

- A caterpillar eats his way through different foods until he is full and weaves a cocoon transforming into a beautiful butterfly. Charming colorful illustrations of foods along with the fat caterpillar and catchy little holes in the foods where the caterpillar "had his snack" make this book a hit with young children.

The Very Lonely Firefly
By: Eric Carle

Publication Date: June 1, 1995 | Age Level: 1 and up

When a very lonely firefly goes out into the night searching for other fireflies, it sees a lantern, a candle, and the eyes of a dog, cat, and owl all glowing in the darkness. It even sees a surprise celebration of light. But it is not until it discovers other fireflies that it finds exactly what it's looking for.

Read it with a flashlight in the dark or under the table--and watch those fireflies glow!

Ace Lacewing Bug Detective

By: David Biedrzycki

Age Level: 6-9

Reading Level: Independent Reader

Ace Lacewing – whose business is bad bugs – narrates the saga of how he and his trusty sidekick and girlfriend foil the plot to overturn Queenie Bee. The exaggerated illustrations combine with staccato, pun-filled language to create this funny parody of detective stories.