Books by Fernando Villalta

Possum Magic

VillaltaFer — 2025-09-18 13:52:39 UTC

Possum Magic will be used to provide a linear, quest-driven narrative with varied settings and encounters that maintain children’s engagement. I will use the book to have students describe what role each character played to identify roles in a book, such as the narrator, main character, etc. Written by Mem Fox, this author writes books for younger audiences. It’s not complicated, where most young individuals wouldn’t be able to read it, but it’s long enough to be recommended for those who can read mostly well and want to try a longer book. Think of how you can lift 50-pound weights but might struggle a lot and strain yourself doing it, but if you practice on slightly lighter ones, it’s easier. The same applies here. Mem Fox is an established author in children’s literacy, winning awards in regards to children’s literacy, taking courses in literacy, and even teaching literacy, and her books were made for children, parents, and teachers.

Sources:

https://kids.kiddle.co/Mem_Fox#The_Story_of_Possum_Magic

https://bookbrief.io/books/possum-magic-mem-fox/summary#literary-techniques-and-style

Sky Color

VillaltaFer — 2025-09-18 14:17:13 UTC

Sky Color is a book that encourages children to paint what they see and embrace creativity, and is a great start for emergent readers with its simple but helpful illustrations that delve into emerging literacy skills, especially when combined with a writing assighment that has students draw the words for example they get a sentence and they draw it like an allogator eating a volleyball. I will use it to have students role-play the main character in Sky Color and write about how they felt, a not-too-complex but appropriate assignment for emerging readers. Written by Peter H. Reynolds, he is a brilliant entrepreneur and award-winning children’s author, and some universities even encourage Sky Color to be read to students, even going as far as to state it’s a “must-read”.

Sources:

https://www.peterhreynolds.com/

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/220817/sky-color-by-peter-h-reynolds-illustrated-by-peter-h-reynolds/

https://theartofeducation.edu/2012/12/book-review-sky-color-by-peter-reynolds/

Ghost

VillaltaFer — 2025-09-18 14:29:27 UTC

Ghost is an engaging story that was “a National Book Award Finalist for Young People’s Literature" and "nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read.” This book will be used for a writing assignment to have students ask themselves and write about a time they felt like Ghost or have been in a similar scenario to Ghost, and in an essay format, since this book is appropriate at this age level. This book is not only award-winning, but the author is also a John Steptoe Award-winning author, Jason Reynolds.

Sources:

https://www.ala.org/news/2025/01/jason-reynolds-charles-george-cg-esperanza-win-2025-coretta-scott-king-book-awards

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1481450166?ref_=dbs_m_mng_rwt_calw_tpbk_0&storeType=ebooks&qid=1762923374&sr=1-1

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

VillaltaFer — 2025-11-12 04:43:52 UTC

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day is a book that teaches students various words and concepts, including places like Australia, in a simple and engaging manner. I used it in class for the Write A Loud Assignment, and it kept students interested for a decent length without boring them. Even at a university level, my classmates enjoyed it.

One way I would use the book is to have students write about their worst or best day and elaborate on how it ended. I focus on the ending because stories can end badly. For example, a student might say they had a bad day because they were in a car accident and their parents died, but they won't say, “Well, I got ice cream, and it got better.” This is also a good way for students to reflect on their experiences.

This book is highly regarded and has been adapted into multiple movies with different themes by studios like Disney. It is also frequently recommended by teachers for its relatable themes and engaging content.

The author of the book, Judith Viorst, is also highly regarded and won the 2011 Foremother Award.

Sources:

https://www.amazon.com/Alexander-Terrible-Horrible-Good-Very/dp/0689711735/ref=asc_df_0689711735?tag=bngsmtphsnus-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80608063550920&hvnetw=s&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=72712&hvtargid=pla-4584207589832305&psc=1

https://kids.kiddle.co/Judith_Viorst

Restart

VillaltaFer — 2025-11-12 05:23:41 UTC

I read this book as a kid, and one day, while I was sleeping, it came to mind. I wondered if the book was still as well-regarded as I had found it to be as a child. So, I looked up the book and the author’s name, and I discovered that he had a website. It was great to see that there were forms and that he was fairly active, with people commenting on his books. Some young people even commented on his books, and he always responded, not just occasionally, but always within 24 hours. He’s so good at replying to people that he even has regulars who mention him and say that he has seen them comment about other books and understands their wants for future projects. For example, let’s say John Doe wrote something about book X on one form and created another to write about book Y. The author says it’s nice and even tells him that it’s similar to his idea for form Y. I would use this book to have students write creatively to the author online and expect a response. The students can write about what they liked from the book, what they disliked, what they had questions about, and maybe even prequel or sequel ideas. The sky is the limit, and I like the author’s response to everyone. He even responds to people who try to romantically ship his characters. I think students would enjoy reading his responses, or some ask him if he likes Taylor Swift. He also accepts Zoom requests, so maybe, as one teacher asked, I could have the students read the questions they wrote if I could ensure it wouldn't take long.

The book and author also have many accolades, including New York Times Best Seller, and a Teacher's pick on Amazon.

Sources:

https://shop.scholastic.com/teachers-ecommerce/teacher/books/restart-9781338053807.html

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1338053809/ref=mes-dp?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=oYt0x&content-id=amzn1.sym.1763b2a9-7aa6-49c2-a60b-ee230f5faf79&pf_rd_p=1763b2a9-7aa6-49c2-a60b-ee230f5faf79&pf_rd_r=H480FH4TPB2GQPKDW0Z0&pd_rd_wg=G05jE&pd_rd_r=ed268121-4b0b-4775-b5dc-353005511a13

Reasons to Stay Alive

VillaltaFer — 2025-11-12 06:10:30 UTC

I perceive this book as similar to the sequel to Inside Out. The first movie is more suitable for younger people who are learning basic concepts like joy, sadness, and so on. However, in the sequel, more emotions such as ennui, anxiety, and so forth, begin to emerge. Just as students learned and identified basic emotions in their younger grades, I want them to do the same for these emotions. They will learn about more complex emotions from the book, which will expand their understanding of their own lives as a writing assignment. I acknowledge that times have changed, and I would expect parental approval for this book. For instance, some parents may be sensitive about anxiety or depression. Some even say that children don’t understand these emotions, especially since they weren’t depressed as children and their lives had more reasons to be depressed. I would focus on identifying the aspects of these emotions, similar to how Inside Out did. Regardless of what people thought of the new characters in that movie, they recognized them as legitimate characters recognized in our society.

This book is from Matt Haig #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Midnight Library and nominated book of the year from multiple outlets, including Entertainment Weekly's Must-Read Books of the Year and Waterstone's Book of the Year

Source:

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/529836/reasons-to-stay-alive-by-matt-haig/

See You Later, Alligator

VillaltaFer — 2025-11-13 17:23:51 UTC

See You Later, Alligator personifies a phrase frequently used for this delightful story. It’s an excellent book for young readers and can be used as a writing assignment where others create their own short stories that personify phrases, such as “it’s raining cats and dogs.” This activity will help them understand figurative language and develop their creative writing skills.

This book is also the #1 Best Seller in Children's Alligator & Crocodile Books on Amazon and published by Sky Pony a publisher that "publish in a broad range of subject matter to celebrate their diverse interests."

Sources:

https://www.amazon.com/See-Later-Alligator-Sally-Hopgood/dp/1510704841

https://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/sky-pony-press/about/

It's a Small World

VillaltaFer — 2025-11-13 17:41:07 UTC

Not everyone can visit Disney World. This book provides an opportunity to explore this attraction in a unique way while learning about different cultures. For a writing assignment, students will discuss everything they observed about each culture and later summarize how similar or different they are from their own culture.

It is endorsed by Disney and published by Little Golden Books, a well-known and regarded publishing partner, especially in children’s literature.

Source:

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/LGB/little-golden-book/

National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Why

VillaltaFer — 2025-11-13 17:50:47 UTC

National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Why is an excellent book that answers kids’ questions about life. Sometimes, when you go to school, you don’t know why you’re learning certain things and can get distracted by something else. It’s easy to do this as an adult because we know so much that we don’t often feel that sense of wonder or discovery. However, kids are just learning about the world. For a writing assignment, I would have kids write any further questions they have. I like this because, of course, no single book will answer every question. This can encourage students to practice their writing by asking more questions, and it combines writing with feedback, something that’s more common at an older age. But with this activity, it can be done at a younger age.

This book is the #1 Best Seller in Children’s Almanacs on Amazon and is published by the well-regarded National Geographic.

Sources:

https://www.amazon.com/National-Geographic-Little-First-Books/dp/1426307934

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/impact/

Lonely Planet Kids World's Coolest Jobs: Discover 40 awesome careers

VillaltaFer — 2025-11-13 18:01:08 UTC

Often, we believe that children need to think about their desired careers, but with what knowledge? While children are familiar with jobs like firefighters, police officers, actors, and other basic professions, they lack knowledge beyond what they observe or hear. To prepare students for careers they enjoy, it is crucial to expose them to a wide range of careers, even unconventional ones. This book can achieve this. Additionally, it can be combined with a writing assignment where students elaborate on the career they learned from the book that they were unaware of before.

This book is published by Lonely Planet, engaging in books and educating and inspiring people about the world.

Source:

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/about