Read:  2/15/2017

Review: A world-renowned scientist, Dr. Jekyll Formaldehyde, dropped his pickle into an experimental particle confabulator, and created an unlikely superhero, Weapon Kosher. Now, after 50 years of cryogenic slumber, this pickle has to face the Brotherhood of Evil Produce, and fight for dill justice. The magic pickle teams up with Jo Jo Wigman, a girl who lives above Dr. Formaldehyde's secret laboratory. The two of them work together to take down the gang of evil super veggies before they reunite and do what rotten vegetables do best–reek havoc.  

I like this book because of the sly wit throughout the story.  It also has fun and energetic art that makes it unexpectedly delightful to read.  

Age/Audience:  Grades 2-4.  This book will appeal to students who are mature enough to appreciate puns and figurative language.  

Teaching Points:  This book would be great to use in a unit about creative language with a specific focus on how and why puns are used and can be useful in specific types of writing. 

Read:  3/7/2017

Review:  This is one of several books in a series about a girl detective.  In this particular book, Nancy finds a lost dog, and she convinces her friend, Ned, to travel with her to return the dog to his owners. When they arrive, the town is deserted except for one strange, old woman. As Nancy tries to learn more information about the town and its missing people, Nancy soon realizes the old woman is not nice or helpful.  She also soon realizes that she needs to solve the mystery before she and Ned disappear as well.  

I like this book, because I was a fan of Nancy Drew books as a child and this brought back fun memories of many reading adventures. I also like that though the characters and the story lines are essentially the same as I remember, they are now considerably more multi-ethnic than the originals. 

Age/Audience:  Grades 3-5. This book would appeal to any student, but particularly girls, who are interested in mystery and adventure topics. 

Teaching Points:  The author introduces many interesting facts about animal biology, geography, and history.  Therefore, this book could be intertwined into a number of history, social studies, and/or science lessons. 

Read:  4/2/2017

Review:  It's the first day of school, and kids are reading their summer vacation essays. Julie shares that she went on an adventure that involved shark hunting, rocket ships, and hot-air balloon chases. She went with her Grampa, a famous ichthyologist, who was in search of the world's largest shark. This adventure leads them to  Antarctica and eventually far-off planets where Grampa is idolized. 

I like this story, because the humor appeals to all ages.  While the children will will enjoy the breakneck pace and underwear gags, there are levels of satire for every age including adults.  Also, even though the tension in the exploits escalates, the adventures are never truly scary.

Age/Audience:  Grades 3-7.  This book would appeal to students who enjoy marine life, humor, and/or adventurous tales.  

Teaching Points: Because Grampa is an ichthyologist, there are many science related concepts that are mentioned throughout the story which makes it a great resource to be used within a science unit about marine life. 

 

Read:  2/6/2017

Review: This is an autobiographical account that follows Siena from her first gymnastics and early ballet lessons through ballet school under the tutelage of the great George Balanchine. Along the way she overcomes anxieties and struggles with her parents’ divorce in order to gain confidence in her own abilities. 

 I like this story because it tells of a young girl's perseverance despite facing many obstacles to accomplishing her goals.  

Age/Audience:  Grades 4-7.  This book would appeal to students who are interested in dance and the arts, especially those who may not appear to be traditionally adept at pursuing the interest.  Because the story is autobiographical, it offers real hope that perseverance in the pursuit of one's goals pays off despite the odds that appear to be stacked against a person. 

Teaching Points:  This book references many popular story ballets (The Nutcracker, Coppelia, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Giselle), and famous dancers, including George Balanchine, Suzanne Farrell, Gelsey Kirkland and Mikhail Baryshnikov. To Dance makes these dances and dancers come to life, so this would be a great tool to include in a social studies lesson on the history of ballet and other art forms, and how they have shaped certain aspects of American culture  

This book could also be used in discussions regarding career exploration.  Students could think of a hobby that they enjoy and research the ways that they could turn that hobby into a job that they enjoy, just like the main character did with dance. 

Read:  3/16/2017

Review:  This is the fourth entry in a series about an owl and his friends, and it is essentially a tale about how being nice will save the day.  The story is mostly wordless with the characters communicating in symbols, but they do read a fairy tale about a knight and a dragon whose text appears in the panels. One character, Wormy, is frightened by the story, so after reassuring him that it’s only fiction, Owly, Wormy, and some friends go outside to play ball to cheer him up.  Owly takes on more of a parental role throughout this story, comforting Wormy and reassuring him that there are no such things as monsters.

I like this story because there are very few words. This allows the readers to use their imagination and other inferencing skills to make conclusions about what is happening in the story. This could be very useful for helping students who need help with comprehension, because they could focus on the strategies without getting overwhelmed with too many words.  

Age/Audience:  Grades 2-5. This book would be a great read for students who might be dealing with a fear or anxiety, because it is offers reassurance that thy need not be afraid.

Teaching Points: Because this novel is nearly wordless , it can be used to teach writing creative narratives or dialogues.