Summary: This super cute easy read is about three mice who are trying to escape a cat. These mischievous mice get into some trouble when they start getting into paint and mixing colors.
Pre-Reading Activity: Show the children a color wheel and discuss how you can mix colors to make up different colors. Talk about the primary colors that cannot be made: red, yellow, and blue.
Post-Reading Activity: Have the children use paint and make new colors. There are so many worksheets that you can make. I have included a couple below. Also, you can go even farther and get white plastic mice from the Dollar Store and let the children paint them. I had my Preschool Classroom do this and though it was messy the children LOVE it!!! We also used finger paint on butcher paper to do this as well.
Reflection: I love this story and like I said, I used it with my preschool classroom. We had a ball with it and were mixing all sorts of colors. They were so excited and I could not be prouder than when one of the parents came in the next day and told me her son talked about the book all night and remembered what colors the mice made and what colors the mice used to get those colors. The mom was so impressed and I could not be any happier. For some reason mice really get children's attention.
About the Author Ellen Stoll Walsh
ELLEN STOLL WALSH is the author and illustrator of many award-winning early concept books for young children, including Mouse Paint, Mouse Count, and the Dot and Jabber trilogy. She lives near Rochester, New York. (amazon.com)
Interesting Things I Found: Cool video of Brian reading Mouse Paint:
Summary: This beautifully written and illustrated story is a retelling of the tale The Gingerbread Man. In this version a boy, Matti, and his mother are home baking gingerbread cookies. Matti is impatient and opens the oven early not to see a gingerbread man, but out jumps a gingerbread baby. Gingerbread baby goes along his way singing:
"I am the Gingerbread Baby,
Fresh from the pan.
If you want me,
Catch me if you can."
The gingerbread baby outsmarts everyone including the mother, father, cat, dog, goats, pigs and others. The only one able to outsmart this gingerbread baby is Matti as he makes a gingerbread house and traps the gingerbread baby.
Pre-Reading Activity: Talk about different animals that children have or that children see outside, i.e. dog, cat, chipmunk, squirrel. Ask the children if, "if you animal got loose outside, how would you catch it?" Make a chart of all of the different answers that your students come up with.
Post-Reading Activity: If the children have read The Gingerbread Man, ask them the differences between that story and this story. Have talk to their elbow partner about a different way that they could have caught the gingerbread baby and then they can write about it. And of course, if you read this story around the holidays to your students as I do, I always like to finish with baking or decorating gingerbread babies and/or houses.
Reflection: I absolutely love this story and all Jan Brett books. She always keeps us entertained and her spin on books is neat. I love how she always puts a sneak peak of the next page on the right side of the page before. This story is truly unique and I like that the gingerbread baby does not get eaten at the end, a more kid friendly version than the gingerbread man.
About the Author Jan Brett
With over thirty seven million books in print, Jan Brett is one of the nation's foremost author illustrators of children's books. Jan lives in a seacoast town in Massachusetts, close to where she grew up. During the summer her family moves to a home in the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts. As a child, Jan Brett decided to be an illustrator and spent many hours reading and drawing. She says, "I remember the special quiet of rainy days when I felt that I could enter the pages of my beautiful picture books. Now I try to recreate that feeling of believing that the imaginary place I'm drawing really exists. The detail in my work helps to convince me, and I hope others as well, that such places might be real."
Interesting Things I Found:
My son Bryan and I recently had the privilege of meeting Jan Brett at one of her book signings. She signed my son's book and talked to him for a bit about cooking and baking, one of my sons interests. It made his whole day. Although we had to wait in line for what seemed to be an eternity, It was great that she took the time to have a conversation with everyone that came.
Jan Brett has amazing activities on her webpage for all of her books:
Summary: In this hilarious book, we follow Mr. A Wolf in his voyage to find a cup of sugar. Along the way he sneezes his way through pigs houses. This is the viewpoint of the wolf from the famous book, The Three Little Pigs. Although everyone knows the pigs story, it is time to find out the wolf's story.
Pre-Reading Activity: Read or do a flannel board of the The Three Little Pigs. If you have a smart board in your classroom there is an excellent visual of this as well. After talking about the book or visual a bit, ask what about the wolf? What do you think the wolf was thinking when he went to these pigs houses?
Post-Reading Activity: Compare and contrast the two stories, that of the wolf and that of the pigs. Which one do you think really happened? Talk to the students about how there are different perspectives to a story. How everything you hear is not always true. Talk about how there are were two different retellings of the same event. Is there really three sides to a story: one persons version, the other persons version, and what really happened. If you have enough time you could even have the students write a the story of what they think really happened and entitle it: What Actually Happened When Three Little Rude Pigs Met One Big Bad Wolf.
Reflection: I really enjoyed this book and even laughed to myself reading it. This book can be used in so many ways in early elementary years. But I was also thinking that it could be used in older classrooms as well if you are having trouble in the classroom with the children getting along or always making up things about one another. You can discuss with them how there can be two different sides to a story. You cannot always believe what you hear unless you were actually there.
About the Author
From the author: "I write books because I love to make kids laugh. I knew Lane Smith (illustrator of The True Story of the Three Little Pigs!, The Stinky Cheese Man and Squids Will Be Squids) would do a great job because we like a lot of the same cartoons and books and ideas. And we laugh at each other's bad jokes all of the time. Our audience is hardcore silly kids, and there are a lot of 'em out there! My motto in writing is: “Never underestimate the intelligence of your audience.” Kids can be silly and smart!" (www.scholastic.com)
Things I Found That Were Interesting...
Here is the video I would use in my classroom for The Three Little Pigs
Here is a fun narrative of The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs
Summary: The children in Room 207 have always had it easy when it comes to Miss Nelson. She is a wonderful, soft spoken teacher of good nature. The children are faced with easy assignments and never get in any trouble. But their lack of appreciation and gratitude will result in them getting the most evil substitute of all time...Miss Viola Swamp.
Pre-Reading Activity: Ask the children, "what would be your dream teacher?" "Would there be homework?" "What would be the worst teacher?" (hopefully they share your name in the dream teacher role and not the worst teacher)
Post-Reading Activity: Make a venn diagram with Miss Viola Swamp and Miss Nelson. Ask the children where they think Miss Nelson went. Ask the children why Miss Nelson didn't see Miss Viola Swamp in the hall.
Reflection: This book was one of my favorite books as a child. I have read this book to my son, who is 8 now, at night before bed many times. I never gave away that Miss Nelson was actually Miss Viola Swamp. I would secretly giggle to myself every time he would flip through the pages to try and figure it out. But I knew that time would come to an end at some point. Two years ago while reading this book, he finally had that "AHA" moment and figured it out. Then he impressed me even more when he told me that is why you should always follow the golden rule. I love this book and so does my son. He even took it to his grandparents house to read to them to see if they could "figure it out." Of course they played along and pretended they did not and he had that chuckle inside too.
About the Authors
Harry Allard was born in Evanston, Illinois on January 27th. He grew up in California, Long Island, and Chicago. He graduated from Northwestern College in 1943 and then performed active duty in Korea. He then lived in Paris for several years and became so fluent in the language that he got a master's degree and then a Ph.D. in French from Yale in 1973. He taught French at the college level for many years.
Upon his arrival in Boston, he met James Marshall, whose art and friendship inspired Allard's first book, The Stupids Step Out. This successful collaboration paved the way for the publication of other Stupids books and the Miss Nelson series. Miss Nelson is Missing was voted one of the most memorable books of the century.
Some Interesting Things I Found...
This is an example of a web chart that a classroom did for this book that I thought was exceptional.
Great idea for Halloween for two teachers Kindergarten, First, or Second Grade. One dress as Miss Nelson and one dress as Miss Viola Swamp.
Summary: A young boy must decide what his destiny is. Is it to be a gastroenterologist like his father has always wanted him to be or will he be a video gamer, his life long dream? Follow Dennis through various levels of his life starting from third grade to his graduate years. Will there be a continue at the end just like his video game? Following his destiny is a lot harder than it seems, but Dennis will soon find out what he is meant to be is not what he thought it would be at all. Maybe his parents expectations are not too high and he can find a way to make everyone happy.
Pre-Reading Activity: Ask children to talk to their elbow partner about what they want to be when they grow up. Also, ask them if this is something they always dreamed of doing or has it changed over the years. Also, ask if anyone in their family also has this profession.
Post-Reading Activity: Make a venn diagram using doctor and video gamer. Discuss the similarities and differences. Also, talk about those who helped him reach his destiny.
Reflection: I really enjoyed this book and this was actually the first graphic novel that I have read. It is a very easy read with a very important message. This book is excellent for teen readers in that it shows the main character Dennis's struggle with being who his parents want him to be and being who he wants to be. The only thing I would be prepared for if reading as a large group or even in small groups is being comfortable enough to talk to the class about colonoscopies.
Author and Illustrator Information
Illustrator Gene Luen Yang on right, Author Thien Pam on right at book signing
About the Author
Thien Pham first came to America on a tiny boat of dreams and rubber tires in 1980 from his home in Vietnam. Channeling this adventurous spirit, Thien graduated from the prestigious Academy of Art in San Francisco in 2000. After, Thien used his tremendous skills to create one masterful comic book after another, enriching the American literary world beyond measure. He recently finished his graphic novel Sumo, which will be published by First Second Books in the near future. He also founded his own handmade comic distribution company called Global Hobo, publishing the art of local artists in the San Francisco Bay Area. Not content to confine his copious talents to just the comic book industry, Thien began teaching at Bishop O'Dowd High School in Oakland in 2004. Over the years, Thien has accrued rampant levels of popularity and now boasts 458 Facebook friends and his own fan page. His secret as to how he is capable of authoring comics, managing his company, teaching high school, and keeping in touch with all his friends? A strict diet of Coca-Cola, the only beverage to grace his lips since 1998.(amazon.com)
About the Illustrator
Gene Luen Yang began drawing comic books in the fifth grade. In 1997, he received the Xeric Grant for Gordon Yamamoto and the King of the Geeks, his first comics work as an adult. He has since written and drawn a number of titles. His 2006 book American Born Chinese was the first graphic novel to be nominated for a National Book Award and the first to win the American Library Association's Michael L. Printz Award. It also won an Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album - New. A short story from The Eternal Smile, his 2009 collaboration with Derek Kirk Kim, won an Eisner Award as well. His books Prime Baby and Level Up (with illustrator Thien Pham) were also nominated for Eisner Awards. Gene currently writes the graphic novel continuation of the popular Nickelodeon cartoon series Avatar: The Last Airbender.(www.amazon.com)
Summary: Shane Evans provides an intimate portrait of a family's nighttime flight from slavery. Each page offers a suspenseful snapshot of the family's journey as they crawl, rest, and meet hardship, hope, and help along the Underground Railroad. Although few words are in this book, the impact is so incredible.
Pre-Reading Activity: This book would work great with your discussions about the Underground Railroad. This book could also be used for an introduction for younger grades to the Underground Railroad. Show the cover of the book and ask your students, "what do you think these characters were thinking in this picture?"
Post-Reading Activity: Engage your students in a discussion about how the author manages to convey so much with so few words. Also show the following video in your classroom. This video is so powerful and impactful. Although reading only the few words in the book the authors voice and expression bring it to life. In this video the illustrations are brought to life. Words cannot express how impactful this short movie is.
Have the students write a short story in which there are five illustrations and only two words per illustration. Have them switch with their elbow partner and try to figure out what their partner was writing about.
Reflection: I would use this books as a read aloud or perhaps a guided reading text with a small group as this may be the first time that children are being exposed to the Underground Railroad. This book is beautifully written and the activities that you can create, the options are endless. Although there are few words in this book, the impact is incredible and you can have your children work on their emergent literacy skills such as using picture clues, high frequency words, and predictable word and sentence patterns to figure out the text.
Author Shane Evans
In the business of illustration, design and creative development, Shane W. Evans is a multi-talented artist and visionary who combines his world travels with his art to influence creative expression in others. Evans studied at Syracuse University School of Visual and Performing Arts and graduated in 1993 and began traveling the world. In addition to contract work in illustration, graphic design and web design for major companies, Evans has conceptualized and illustrated numerous children’s books. Many of the books have been featured in the media such as The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Today Show, NBA Inside Stuff, Reading Rainbow and Late Night with David Letterman. Shane has received much acclaim within the children’s literary field for his work on children’s books such as "Osceola," "The Way The Door Closes," "Shaq and the Beanstalk" and "Take It To The Hoop Magic Johnson." His accolades range from being honored by First Lady Laura Bush at the 2002 National Book Festival, The Boston Globe-Horn Book Award and The Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Non-Fiction for Children. (www.shaneevans.com)
Shane Evans Achievements
2004 – 2005 Land of Enchantment Book Award Master Reading List 2002 National Book Festival honor by First Lady Laura Bush IRA Children’s Book Award Notables List Lee Bennett Hopkins Honor Book (Penn State University / Pennsylvania Center for the Book) The Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for "Osceola" Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Non-Fiction for children Coretta Scott King / John Steptoe New Talent Award "The Way A Door Closes"
Beautifully written article about this book and author Shane Evans:
Theme: Counting and Numbers, Early Learning, Animals
Summary: The popular "Monkeys Jumping on the Bed" rhyme is remained here with sharks misbehaving. The sharks bump into manatees, get stuck on the ocean floor, bang their tails, get lost playing hide-and-seek, and eat too much fish--all resulting in mother shark calling the doctor, time and time again. In the end, the sharks all return to health and swim happily in the sea.
Pre-Reading Activity: Sing the popular song, Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, and ask the class if they think there can be any other stories that can be written using this idea. Talk about if monkeys really do jump on beds. Also ask, can monkey's really use telephones? Hold up the book Five Little Sharks Swimming in the Sea and ask predictions as to what trouble the sharks can get into in the sea.
Post-Reading Activity: Discuss if any of the children's predictions were illustrated in the story. Make a chart of what happened to all of the sharks or make a chart of all of the rhyming words. Pick seven children and have them come to the front of the room. Choose 5 to be sharks, one to be the mother, and one to be the doctor and act out the story in front of the class. You could even goes as far as bringing in an art project making doctor hats and shark fins.
Reflection: I really enjoy this book and really enjoyed sharing it with younger children. I have had children act it out and we would have to do it over and over so all children would get a turn. It is a real easy read and has great repetition so that even beginner readers can read this book. The one criticism that I have of this book is that although there is rhyming in it, the end sentence of the page does not rhyme so it is hard to get rhythm in the story when doing a read aloud. Below is an example...
Two little sharks playing hide-and-seek.
One got lost and was missing for a week.
The mother called the doctor and the doctor said,
"No more sharks playing hide-and-seek!"
As you can see in the above excerpt from the book, the red words seek and week rhyme, while the blue words said and seek do not.
Steve Metzger is the bestselling author of more than sixty children's books, including "Detective Blue" (starred review from School Library Journal), "The Mixed-Up Alphabet," and "Skeleton Meets the Mummy." He is a former teacher of young children and currently enjoys reading his stories during school visits. Steve had a typical 1950s childhood growing up in Queens, NY. He currently lives in Manhattan (not far from Central Park) with his wife, teenage daughter, and Biscuit, a talkative cat.
