The Velveteen Rabbit

The Velveteen Rabbit 

Author: Margery Williams

Illustrator: William Nicholson 

Grade Level: 2-4

Genre: Fantasy 

Awards: IRA/CBC Children's Choice Award 

Summary: This book follows the precious story of Velveteen Rabbit.  Velveteen Rabbit was one of many Christmas gifts a young boy received.  Velveteen Rabbit, after seeing the boys other presents, soon grew discouraged by his lack of mobility and mechanical parts.  He was just a simple rabbit filled with sawdust.  After meeting Skin Horse, Velveteen Rabbit learns that he could one day be made Real.  Velveteen Rabbit began to loose hope when he rarely got to spend time with his owner.  One day, the young boy's china dog he always went to bed with went missing.  His grandmother then grabbed Velveteen Rabbit out of the cupboard and handed him to the boy as a replacement bedtime buddy.  Velveteen Rabbit and the young boy became inseparable.  Velveteen Rabbit went everywhere with the young boy.  As the adventures together continues, Velveteen Rabbit noticed some of his fur worn, color faded, and whiskers missing.  It was at this moment he realized he had become Real (or so he thought).  Velveteen Rabbit noticed the young boy becoming very ill.  Eventually, the doctors instructed that all the boy's toys be burned in order to kill the scarlet fever germs.  As Velveteen Rabbit was out in the cold, waiting to be burned, a single tear fell from his face and hit the ground.  All of a sudden, a flower bloomed and a fairy appeared.  The fairy then used her magical powers to turn Velveteen Rabbit into a real rabbit!  Years later, the young boy came across a rabbit in the woods who looked very familiar.  This rabbit reminded him of a dear friend he had once.  Little did he know he was looking in the eyes of Velveteen Rabbit himself.

Evaluation:  What an amazing story!  I loved this book.  I plan on using this in my classroom in order to share good writing and storytelling with my students.  I think students will enjoy this sweet, heartwarming story of sweet Velveteen Rabbit.

The grade level appropriateness is between second and fourth grade.  The reading level and content is appropriate for these ages.

I was thinking of using this for a creative writing lesson.  Students can write about an inanimate object coming to life and then write the journey the object embarks on.  This would be a way of teaching the TEKS on fiction writing.  

Leprechaun Tales

Leprechaun Tales 

Traditional Irish stories retold by Yvonne Carroll

Illustrator: Jacqueline East

Grade Level: 2-5

Genre: Traditional Literature 

Awards: none

Summary: The book takes the reader through six traditional Irish stories about leprechauns.  The Crock of Gold, The Sidhe, and The Magic Cloak all show the master trickery of leprechauns.  Being known for their gold, these three tales show what happens when a human tries to take a leprechaun's gold.  In these three tales, the leprechauns outsmarted the humans in unique and clever ways.  Niamh, The Fairy Lios, and The New House all show what happens when you interfere with a leprechaun's home.  These last three tales show that there is a high price to pay when you mess with their surroundings.  Thankfully, the leprechauns were forgiving in returning Niamh back to her family (from Niamh) and giving Eithne (from The Fairy Lios) back her ability to sleep.  Unfortunately, the family from The New House was never able to enjoy their newly built home after the leprechauns destroyed it.  Humans are never to mess with a leprechaun's gold or house.

Evaluation:  This was SO good!  I actually bought this book when I was in Ireland a couple of years ago.  I didn't have the chance to read all the way through it until now.  It could just be because I love Ireland, but I am definitely using this in my classroom.  I think these tales would help encourage creative writing in my class.

This books readability is between the grade levels of second and fifth grade.  I will note though... the names, being traditional Irish names, might be difficult for young readers.  Some of the names were even difficult for me.  Overall though, children and student will love this book!

I thought this would be a great way to introduce the creative fiction writing unit!  Students could use these tales to come up with tales of their own.  You could even use this as a multicultural unit and teach spoken Irish traditions and tales.  Students could then be given the chance to share traditions and tales from their cultures.  

Stone Soup

Stone Soup 

Traditional Swedish tale retold by the Troll Associates 

Illustrator: Diane Paterson 

Grade Level: 2-4

Genre: Traditional Literature
Awards: none (for this edition)

Summary: Three hungry soldiers approach a town in hopes to receive some food.  As the townspeople see them approaching, the quickly hide all of their food.  The soldiers go door to door asking for food and a place to stay.  All of the townspeople turn them away saying they have too few bed and too little food to feed themselves.  One of the soldiers gets a brilliant idea.  He asks to borrow a large cooking pot to make stone soup.  Intrigued, the townspeople provide him the pot.  The soldiers slowly mention how the stone soup would be better with one more ingredient.  By the end of the story, the soldiers have a boiling pot of delicious soup complete with salt, pepper, carrots, onion, celery, potatoes, meat, wheat, and cream.  The townspeople are so impressed by their stone soup that they throw a huge feast.  They praise the soldiers for their amazing stone soup and end up filling their hungry bellies and giving them places to stay.

Evaluation:  Overall, I loved this story.  I would use this book in my classroom because I think it is a clever story.  I think middle school students would enjoy hearing this story even if they have already heard the story.

The readability is suitable for second through fourth grade.  I think the material in the story is also appropriate for those grade levels as well.

I could use this story as a writing prompt.  I could have the students share from other books they have read how a character outwitted another character. 

Hansel and Gretel

Hansel and Gretel 

Traditional German story retold by The Brothers Grimm

Translated from the German by: Golden Press

Illustrator: Eloise Wilkin 

Grade Level: 1-4

Genre: Traditional Literature 

Awards: Bologna International Children's Book Fair Honor (1980), International Biennial of Illustration Bratislava Honor diploma (1979)

Summary: As their family faces a famine, Hansel and Gretel's stepmother forces her husband to leave his children in the woods to die since they can no longer provide for them.  Overhearing this, the children come up with a plan to find their way back home after their parents lead them into the woods.  As their parents lead them into the deep woods, Hansel drops pebbles along the path so that they can find their way back home.  After being abandoned, the children find their way back by following the trail of pebbles.  Soon after their return, their outraged stepmother leads them out into the woods again, hoping to loose them once and for all.  This time, Hansel and Gretel use breadcrumbs to find their way out.  Unfortunately, by the time they turn to head back home, the breadcrumbs are gone, eaten by the birds.  Alone with no way to guide them back home this time, Hansel and Gretel attempt to find their way home on their own.  They soon come across a house made of cake, bread, and sugar.  Starving, the children start eating the house.  Unbeknownst to them, an evil witch lives in the home.  The evil witch locks Hansel in a cage and feeds him every day in order to fatten him up for eating.  Hansel and Gretel outsmart the evil witch and end up pushing her in her own flaming furnace.  Hansel and Gretel get away and reunite with their father who is overjoyed at seeing them alive.

Evaluation: I honestly do not see myself using this in my future classroom.  I do not doubt middle school students loving this story, I just figure they will have already heard the story a lot.  There are plenty of other literature books I want to expose them to.

I put the appropriate grade level from first through fourth because I feel as though they can handle the reading level at that age.  Being honest, this is a dark story to read to that young of an age.  Even though the readability is at that grade level, I do not think most students would be able to handle it.

A lesson you could use for this book (for older students - middle school)  would be text-to-text connections.  Have the students write about another protagonist who outsmarted an antagonist.  

Jack Kent's Fables of Aesop

Jack Kent's Fables of Aesop 

Aesop's original Greek fables translated and creatively illustrated by Jack Kent
Grade Level: 3-8
Genre: Traditional Literature
Awards: none

Summary: Jack Kent uses his illustrations to tell Aesop's blunt and somewhat humorous fables.  Some of the fables included are the following: The Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs, The Fox and the Crow, and The Fox and the Grapes.  The ending of The Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs teaches that one should be content with enough.  The Fox and the Crow teaches that one should not be fooled by flattery.  Lastly, The Fox and the Grapes teaches that there is some comfort in pretending that we do not want what we can not get.

Evaluation:  I thoroughly enjoyed this read.  I would personally use this book in my future classroom because I think my future students would not only love the tales, but the way Jack Kent illustrates each tale.  As their teacher, I could use the tale to teach them important life lessons in a humorous way.

I chose the grade appropriateness from third to eighth grade because I believe they would 1) learn valuable lessons from the tales at that age and 2) have humorous illustrations to go along with the lessons.

The words of wisdom taught at the end of each tale made me think of Mr. Brown's precepts in Wonder.  In my future classroom, I could not only use these tales to teach a lesson, but I could use these tales as a writing prompt (similar to Mr. Brown).  The students could be read one tale at the beginning of the week.  They would then have the remaining week to write a response to the lesson taught.  They could connect the lesson to a similar lesson a main character in their independent reading learned, or one they learned themselves.  This would be a fun way to encourage creative and reflective writing.   

Wonder

Wonder

Author: R.J. Palacio
Grade Level: 4-8
Genre: Fiction (novel)
Awards: Bluebonnet Award, E.B. White Read Aloud Award, IRA-CBC Teachers' Choice

Summary: August (Auggie) Pullman is a funny, smart, bright young boy who only wants to be seen as "ordinary."  Auggie was born with severe facial deformities. These deformities caused him to look very different than the people around him.  Even after countless surgeries, Auggie new he would never be seen as "ordinary."  The book takes the reader through Auggie's first year in a public school after being home-schooled his entire life.  The book not only shows Auggie's perspective, but his sister's and close friends'.  The reader soon sees that life is not only difficult for Auggie, but those closest to him.  As Auggie goes through his fifth grade year, he soon learns that kindness is the strongest bond in a friendship.  *Spoiler Alert* Despite the many hardships Auggie faced in school, he soon learned he had more friends than he realized while he and his classmates were on a school camping trip.  After being bullied by seventh graders from another school, Auggie had some unexpected people come to his rescue.  After this moment, everything changed for Auggie.  School became a place he felt he belonged.  At the end of the story, Auggie earned the highest award recognizing his "courage, kindness, friendship, and character."  He finally got the standing ovation he dreamed of.


Evaluation:  This book was wonder-ful!  I could not seem to put it  down.  I loved the author's creativity of writing the book in different points of view.  The author's writing style even differed depending on the point of view she was writing from - so creative!  I personally believe the mature theme throughout the book is very appropriate and applicable for middle school students.  The book does a wonderful job at teaching acceptance and kindness - both of which are important characteristics we should encourage in our students.

I decided to put the grade level appropriateness between fourth and eighth grade because the students will be at a suitable age to appreciate and understand the issues the book addresses.  Even though I stopped the grade level at eighth, I think high school students could benefit from reading this book as well.

I would definitely use this book in my future classroom.  I would use this book to teach students about plot development to determine whether and how conflicts were resolved throughout the book (ELA.8.6A).  We would then look at how the different points of view changed or clarified the plot development sequence.  I might even use this book as a writing assignment where students write a fictional story from different points of view.    

Majesty in Flight

Majesty in Flight: Nature's Birds of Prey in Three Dimensions 

Author: Ron Van der Meer
Illustrator: Ivan Lapper
Grade Level: 5-8th
Genre: Nonfiction
Awards: none

Summary: This short book gives the reader an inside look at different birds of prey including falcons, eagles, and vultures.  Each section shows the size, description, and overview of each bird including pop-up diagrams of each.  Considering this book is about birds of prey, the author does not hide the somewhat gruesome meals these birds enjoy.

Evaluation: Overall, I enjoyed reading this book.  It was very informative and interactive.  I decided to increase the grade level due to the book's detailed look inside the diets of these birds of prey.  Again... being a book about birds of prey, you expect this.  I just wanted to make sure my readers knew that I would not give this book to a kindergartner.  If I did, I might have some not-so-happy parent emails.  For junior high, they will love this.  It takes the simple, somewhat childish aspect of pop-up diagrams to teach students the different birds of prey.  I chose this book because it came up during my student teaching.  The students pointed to the huge bird outside the window and said it was a hawk.  One of the other students read this book and soon realized the hawk was in fact a falcon.  My mentor teacher and I then used this as a teaching moment to show how reading can help you determine or clarify something and enhance your overall comprehension (ELA.8.2B and ELA.8.Fig19A).  I may not include this book in my yearly plan, but I will definitely use this book if another teaching moment like this comes up.

About Alexi

Hello!  My name is Alexi.  Welcome to "Read Along with Alexi."  I am currently in my last semester at college studying to be a secondary English teacher.  I have been a little overwhelmed with my lack of knowledge in the different genres of children's literature.  Even though I will be teaching middle school students, children's literature is STILL applicable.  There are so many things to be taught through children's literature.  My hope is to widen my knowledge of children's literature through this blog.  I hope you will learn something and be encouraged by my blogging.  I look forward to the places these works will take me.