Virgie Goes to School With Us Boys by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard

Virgie Goes to School With Us Boys by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard

Summary: Four brother, John, Val, Nelson, George, Will, and C.C. all went to school every week with the Quakers in Philadelphia, while their little sister, Virgie, stayed home and helped with the housework. Each week Virgie pleaded to go to school, no matter what her brother said, she never gave up. One day, their parents announced that next year, Virgie would be going to school with her brothers. Finally, when summer was over, they got new clothes, and a week's worth of food, and off they went to school. Virgie, had finally got to go to school with her brothers, and receive the education she always wanted.

Review: The book is fantastic for younger grades, such as first and second, to learn about why it’s important that everybody had the opportunity to go school during this time. Not only this, but the book is also set Philadelphia which opens the door for lesson that talk about, the Quakers are mentioned, and the long journey they children had to take to go to school, and other things going on at the time.. There is rich content in this book and it has beautifully vivid illustrations to tie it all together.

Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson

Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson

Summary: Young Clara used to work at North Farms with her mother, however, they needed more people over at the Home Plantation, so they took her there, without her mom. Clara was very sad, but she eventually made friends with Young Jack who worked with her in the fields, and Aunt Rachel who taught her how to sew. Aunt Rachel, also helped her become a seamstress so that she didn’t have to work in the fields anymore and instead work in the House. One day she overheard talk of slaves running away to Canada where they can be free forever using the Underground Railroad, only it was hard to escape without a map. So Clara got the idea to make a map quilt that lead to freedom. It took a really long time, but with the help of the other workers, she finished it. Her stitches mapped out the way to the Ohio river and then to Canada. Clara and Young Jack took off one day during a storm, but before they crossed the river, they picked up Clara’s mom and little sister. Clara, Jack, Her mom, and her sister all made it to Canada where they were free. And Clara’s map quilt helped many other slaves reach freedom ,too.

Review: This is great book for ages 6-9, learning about what the underground railroad meant to people, and the significance of a map. This would be a fun, content rich book, to have in my classroom, and the illustrations are beautiful, and are sure to give the students a clear vision of the plantation, the characters, and the amazing quilt that Clara builds.

How I learned Geography by Uri Shulevitz

How I learned Geography by Uri Shulevitz

Summary:  A young boy and his family flee from their  because of a war. They soon began a new life in a new country. They now live in a small house made of dirt, and the boy did not have  toys, no books, not anything, even food was hard to get and very expensive. One day, when his father was supposed to buy some bread from town, however when he finally came home, he had not bread, only a map. The little boy and his mother were furious. However, the little boy soon became fascinated by the map, and through his imagination, he traveled the world. This is how he learned geography.

Review: This story would be great for teaching children about the importance of maps, not only this but teaching students how war can impact families. It’s important that students are able to grasp these point of views at a young age, specifically 5 to 8, the appropriate ages for the book, in a way that they may understand. I would love to have this book in my classroom because it’s not easy to find a book that depicts such a sad story in such a beautiful way for young readers.

Finding Winnie by Lindsay Mattick, Illustrated by Sophie Blackall

Finding Winnie by Lindsay Mattick, Illustrated by Sophie Blackall

Summary: Cle wanted to hear a true story about a real bear, and so his mother tells him the story of Captain Harry Colebourn and Winnie the Pooh. Captain Harry Colebourn Was a veterinarian before he joined the war in 1914, so when he saw a bear cub with a certain fate ahead of her, he listened to his heart and bought her. Her name was Winnie, and she and Captain Colebourn became best friends. Winnie, was loved by every soldier in the brigade, so much so, they made her their mascot. However, the war continued and Winnie couldn’t stay with Captain Colebourn and the other soldiers anymore, so she was taken to live at the zoo. But, their story does not end here. Winnie soon after becomes friends with a young child named Christopher Robin, whose father, A. A. Milne wrote stories about them.

Review: What a sweet book of the history behind the beloved character of Winnie the Pooh. This book is intended for ages 5-9, but I believe that this would be a great book read with the whole family. In a classroom setting, it would be a great introduction to teaching about family trees. Students could even come up with their own stories that tell of their family trees.

Love That Dog by Sharon Creech

Love That Dog by Sharon Creech

Summary: Jack is learning about poems in classrooms, only he refuses to write any in his journal given to him by his teacher Ms. Stretchberry. Eventually, Jack allows Ms. Stretchberry to put up some of his words that were not poems, on the condition that his name not on the paper. Ms. Stretchberry keeps asking him to use his poems, and eventually, he agrees to have his name put on the poems. Jack comes to like poems very much, especially the ones by Walter Dean Myers. Jack likes Walter Dean Myers so much that Ms. Stretchberry encourages him to write a letter asking Mr. Myers to come to their school. Jack finally opens up a about his dog sky, revealing the importance of the Blue Car poem he wrote earlier. Soon enough, Jack receives news that Walter Dean Myers is coming to his city, his school, his classroom. Jack is so excited that he could not sleep. Walter Dean Myers, comes and Jack loves him, he even writes him another letter to thank him. Jack ends this book with another poem about Sky, his dog, inspired by Walter Dean Myers, titles Love That dog.

Review: I cry every time I read this book. The first I read this book, I myself was in elementary school and learning about poems. What an encouragement it was to read about a boy who didn’t think his words could be poems but actually were! I would love to introduce a unit on Poetry with a read aloud of this book, or even as a book club book for Middle School since it is for 9 to 14 year olds. Not only would I have this book in my classroom, but also in my home.

Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes

Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes

Summary: Lilly is always very excited to go to school, and she is loves her teacher Mr. Slinger. In fact she likes her teacher so much, that she wants to be a teacher when she grows up. One day, Lilly brings her new sunglasses, three quarters, and a new purple, music playing purse that she got from her weekend with her Grandmother, to school. Mr. Slinger tells Lilly that she needs to wait  to show everybody her new glasses, her quarters, and purple, music playing purse, but Lilly just can’t wait. Eventually, Mr. Slinger has to confiscate her new things because she keeps interrupting the class. Lilly is sad, at first, but after some thinking in the Light bulb corner, she becomes mad. Lilly is so mad that she makes a mean drawing about Mr. Slinger and sneaks it into his book bag. At the end of the day, Mr. Slinger gives back her things, but Lilly is still mad, and says that she doesn’t want to be a teacher anymore, as she walks out the door to go home. On her way home she find a nice note and a snack bag in her purse from Mr. Slinger. Now, Lilly, feels really bad about what she did, she feels so bad that she runs home to tell her parents everything. Lilly puts herself in timeout, but eventually gets to work on a new drawing for a Mr. Slinger. Her parent’s even help by writing their own note for Mr. Slinger and baking cookies for him. The next day Lilly, apologizes and gives her the things she and her parents put together yesterday afternoon to Mr. Slinger. Mr. Slinger forgives her and shares his cookies with the whole class. Now, everybody wants to be a teacher, especially Lilly.

Review: This book is a sweet book that gives a lesson to its audience of 5 to 8 year olds, on taking new things in the classroom. This situation depicted by Kenkes is a very real one to children at these ages. It’s important that children understand why their things are being confiscated and what they can’t show everyone their new things whenever they want to. I would love to have this book on shelf, and would read it to my class to introduce a sharing time or a show and tell time.

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

Summary: A little girl and her Father go owling in the snowy woods. They walk a long time until finally her father stops and call for a Great Horned Owl. They waited a little while and her father called out again, nothing happened, but it was okay, her brothers told her that an owl didn’t always come. After waiting for a while longer, they walked a little deeper into the dark and snowy woods. And this time when the girl’s father called, there was another call in response. They waited a little bit and her father called again, the owl’s call back was closer than before, in fact it was right above them. An owl had come up and landed in a tree branch right above them, they seemed to stare at each other for a long time until it flew away. After the owl had gone the little girl and their dad went home.

Review: This would be a fantastic book to have in First through fourth grade classes. The imagery and tone set by the author would be a fun aspect of books for stronger readers to explore. This would be a great book to go along with a lesson about owls and their habitats. This is a beautifully written and illustrated book I would want to have in my class room.

A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams

A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams

Summary: A little girl and her mom are saving up money to buy a new chair. Their last one got burned in the house fire they had a year ago. After the fire they moved into an apartment where they painted the wall yellow, only they didn’t have any furniture. However, when they moved in all their neighbors came together to give them beds, window curtains, and kitchen supplies. The only thing they still did not have was a chair. In the chair that they are saving any spare change for, her mom will sit in after work to rest her feet, and her grandma will sit in it to cut potatoes and things. Finally, one day they had saved enough money for a new chair, so they took all their coins to the bank so that they can get bills to pay for chair. After going to many different stores, they finally found the chair of their dreams, and they took it home right away. They put their new chair by a window so that it right in front of the TV and so that her grandma could talk to the people passing by the window.

Review: This is a beautifully illustrated book I would love to have in my classroom. This book is is a great one for Pre-K through First Grade. This is a great lesson about saving up your money and seeing different kinds of families, like one with only one parent, a child, and a grandmother. It is so important that children are able to find books that they can identify with.  

Alexander and the No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst

Summary: Alexander is not having a good day. First, he woke up with gum in his hair, tripped on his skateboard, and dropped his sweater in the sink. Second, there was not even a toy in his cereal box, even though both his brothers got one. Alexander wanted to move to Australia. Third, no one would listen to him when he said he would get car sick on the carpool ride to school. Fourth, his teacher did not like his picture of an invisible castle, he sang too loud in music, and he forgot the number sixteen. Fifth, Paul said that Alexander was not his best friend anymore, but his third best friend. Sixth, his mom forgot to pack a dessert in his lunch. Seventh, Alexander went to the Dentist, where he was the only one with a cavity. He would have to come back next week, but next week Alexander will be in Australia. Eighth, an elevator closed on his foot and his brother called him a crybaby after they made him fall in mud. Ninth, while he was getting back at his brother for calling him a crybaby, his mom came and he got in trouble for it. Tenth, they did not have the shoes he wanted at the store so they had to get him boring ones. Eleventh, he made a mess in his Dad’s office even though he was told not to touch anything. Twelfth, there was lima beans for dinner and kissing on the TV. Thirteenth, his bath was too hot, he got soap in his eyes, his marble fell down the drain, and he had to wear his railroad pajamas. Fourteenth, his brother took a pillow from him, the night light burnt out, he bit his tongue, and his cat did not want to sleep with him. Alexander had a terrible, no good, very bad day.

Review: This book would be a fun one to read aloud to the class. This book teaches younger children through Kinder and Second grader, that everybody has bad days no matter where they live. It’s important that children understand that their peers are experiencing some of the same things they are.