Going to the Doctor by Kira Freed

Going to the Doctor by Kira Freed

Summary: What should you know about going to see the doctor? This book has the answers. There will be nice nurses who get all kind of information, your height, weight, even blood pressure. Next, you will see the doctor. The doctor will check on how you are doing, if you sick, if you are in pain, and what he can do to make you feel better. They will check on things like your heart, eyes ears, reflexes, even your stomach. Also, there are some tips on how to stay healthy, like eating right, exercising, and enjoying life.

Review: Sometimes going to the doctor can be scary, especially for preschoolers and kindergarteners. This book would help them to know exactly what the doctor do and they it is important to go. This would be helpful in a lesson about helpers in our local communities. I would have this in my library, no doubt about it.

Ocean Alive: Sharks by Colleen Sexton

 Ocean Alive: Sharks by Colleen Sexton

Summary: This book is all about Sharks. All you need to know about what kind of bones they have to the tiny scales covering their body. As well as how they hunt, which is by swimming fast or even hiding in the ocean floor. Also, how sharks eat, which talks a lot about different kinds of teeth that they have. The book ends with a glossary and a few resources to look up more shark facts.

Review: Sharks are always fun to talk about in a class, and students who are starting to read on their own want to read things that interest them and sharks are always a popular topic. First, second, and third graders would enjoy this mini chapter book about sharks. So, no question that I would have this book in my class library.

Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford, Illustrated by Kadir Nelson.

Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford, Illustrated by Kadir Nelson.

Summary: Harriet Tubman talked to God, she could not be a slave anymore and God told her that it was time to flee to freedom. Harriet trusted in him, always talking to him. She did not tell anybody of her plans to leave, but instead sang a song the night of her escape. She walked a long time, all the while God was guiding her way. She got help from a nice lady, but soon it was back to traveling. There a few times that she was almost caught, but she prayed to God and He answered. God kept her safe. There times she felt as if she couldn’t go any longer, her feet even started to bleed. However, again she would pray to God, and he would answer. He would say that freedom is where she is going, and he would guide her the rest of the way until she finally reached freedom. She felt like a whole new person. But, there was still something she had to do; she had to get her family. She worked hard, and even found a church that worked as a stopping place for the Underground Railroad. Here she worked learning all the tunnels, and all the safe places. Once she has learned all that she needed, she went back for her family and brought them back to family. Even though, she had her family back, she felt God calling her back to help more people reach freedom. Harriet talked to God about it because she did not thing she was the right person, but God said that He knew all that she had went through, and He has given her everything she needed. He told her to be the Moses of her people. And, so, Harriet went back, again and again, guiding people to freedom.

Review: This book tells the amazing story of Harriet Tubman and her journey to freedom, coupled with the magnificent paintings of Kadir Nelson. This would be a terrific book of for any lesson on the Underground railroad. While the books is mainly appropriate for ages 7 through 10, i believe that younger and older readers would appreciate the book. I would absolutely have this in my classroom library!

A River of Words by Jen Bryant, Illustrated by Melissa Sweet

A River of Words by Jen Bryant, Illustrated by Melissa Sweet

Summary: William Carlos Williams was just like everybody else, except he liked to walk through the woods and observe everything. He never missed a thing. He liked to rest by the Passaic River, and just listen to the water rushing by. As he got older, he had less and less time to go outside and walk through the woods and listen to the river. However, one day his teacher began talking about poetry. As William began to write his own, he felt like he was back in the woods, laying next to the river. William liked to write about his the things he saw, and because the things he saw didn’t fit with each other like what he read in other poems, William decided to try something different. William continued writing, and when time came to go to college, William decided to study medicine like his Uncle Carlos. While William was away studying medicine he met his friends, Ezra Pound and Hilda Doolittle who both studied literature, and Charles Demuth who studied painting. When he was all done with school he went back to his hometown to opened “William C. Williams, M.D.- Family Medicine”. William was busy again, helping families and delivering babies. But at night when the town went to sleep, William would write.

Review: This book on William C. Williams would be amazing to have in a lesson about poetry and famous poets. For 7 and 10 years olds, it’s important they are engaged in what they are reading, and have content that they relate to. This book allows its reader to walk through the busy life of William C. William and why he wrote the poems he did. I would without a doubt put this in my classroom.

Me… Jane by Patrick McDonnell

Me… Jane by Patrick McDonnell

Summary: Jane has a stuffed monkey named Jubilee, who she takes everywhere including outside where Jane likes to spend most of her time. Outside, Jane likes to spend time watching and learning all about the animals and things she sees. She likes to watch the birds, the spiders, and the squirrels. She also likes to hug the trees and hear their sap trickling down the trunk. And everything she saw, felt, and learned, she wrote down in her journal. Jane also liked to read Tarzan, a book where another Jane lived in Africa. This was Jane’s dream, to live in Africa with all their animals and their jungles. One day, Jane’s dream came true.

Review: This story of Jane Goodall would be great to have in any classroom. The story would be great for emerging readers and older readers, from 2 to 10, and a great introduction into talking about nature and living organisms. I would not hesitate to put this in my classroom.